France to send armoured vehicles, medicines to Lebanese army

France will send dozens of armoured vehicles to the Lebanese army so it can properly carry out patrol missions in the country, the Defence minister said in remarks published on Monday. This comes as tensions mount between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu (C) visits the base of the French contingent of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the southern Lebanese village of Deir Kifa on November 2, 2023. AFP - MAHMOUD ZAYYAT

Speaking to Lebanon's L'Orient Le Jour newspaper after a trip to the country, France's Defence minister Sebastien Lecornu said it was vital to beef up the Lebanese national army so that it could coordinate well with the United Nations peacekeeping force.

"We will pursue our partnership with military equipment, notably for the transport of troops protected by armour, which is key to maintain patrols," he said in the interview, adding that several dozen armoured vehicles would be given to the Lebanese army soon. 

"Our support for the Lebanese army is for the long-term whatever the current difficulties," Lecornu added, referring to the regional conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Je suis venu porter 3 messages au Liban et honorer ainsi les liens d’amitié qui nous lient au peuple libanais. 🇫🇷🇱🇧

➡️ La France ne ménage aucun effort pour la stabilité du Liban et soutient les Forces armées libanaises, acteur central de la sécurité du Liban. pic.twitter.com/pyYRTdJOVF

— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) November 5, 2023

Paris will also provide medicines and is setting up a joint programme to purchase medical supplies at reasonable prices for the Lebanese army in the future, he said.

France has sought to use its historical relationship with Lebanon to try to defuse tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, but violence has spiked.

Some 700 French soldiers are part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) established in 1978 following violence on the Israel-Lebanon border.

Hezbollah, a Shi'ite Muslim armed group classed by the United States and others as a terrorist organisation, wields enormous power in Lebanon, whose economy is in ruins and whose state is barely functioning.

Lebanese leaders fear clashes between Hezbollah and Israel could flare into a major conflict.

France is also in discussions with Egypt to establish a ground military medical centre, which would include surgical capabilities for seriously injured people in the neighbouring Gaza Strip, Lecornu added.

UN agency leaders said "enough is enough", demanding a humanitarian ceasefire on Monday, nearly a month into Gaza's war, as the enclave's health authorities said dozens more people were killed in Sunday's attacks by Israeli fighter jets and troops.

 (with Reuters)