French President Emmanuel Macron will open a conference aimed at raising funds and mobilizing humanitarian aid for embattled Lebanon on Thursday, amid Israel and Hezbollah’s ongoing conflict. Israel and Iran, Hezbollah’s primary backer, will attend the conference, significantly hindering chances of achieving the conference’s objectives.
An aid conference for Lebanon opens in Paris Thursday in the hope of raising hundreds of millions of dollars, with hosts France also targeting diplomatic progress for the war-ravaged country.
But in the absence of key players, any political breakthrough appears remote around the conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has so far claimed more than 1,500 lives and displaced 700,000 people.
Israel launched a ground offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in late September after a year exchanging fire over the border.
Paris is also seeking an increase in humanitarian aid for a country to which it has historic ties and which has a large diaspora in France.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told broadcaster RTL on Wednesday that around 70 countries and 15 international organisations would attend, vowing that France “will not let Lebanon down”.
(AFP)
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