French President Emmanuel Macron said Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa supports the Lebanese authorities’ efforts to restore state control over Lebanon’s territory.
In a statement on Thursday, March 12, Macron said on the platform X that “President al-Sharaa’s support for Lebanese sovereignty marks a clear break with the past and paves the way for healthy and constructive relations between Lebanon and Syria.”
French-Syrian-Lebanese coordination
The French president held extensive talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Macron expressed his satisfaction that France could contribute to and participate in these discussions on an equal footing, in what he described as the spirit of an entirely new partnership that Lebanon and Syria are now seeking to build.
Macron added, “It is truly a historic opportunity for these two countries that have suffered greatly from Assad’s dictatorship, regional crises, and terrorism.”
He also said that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, with the support of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government and the Lebanese Armed Forces, is confronting threats to Lebanon’s security and unity.
Macron: Hezbollah made a serious mistake
The French president said that “Hezbollah made a serious mistake when it dragged Lebanon into confrontation with Israel, and it must immediately stop its attacks.”
He added that Israel, for its part, must clearly abandon any ground offensive against Lebanon.
Macron confirmed that the talks with Syria and Lebanon concluded with an agreement to remain in close contact.
Al-Sharaa: We support Lebanon’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa participated in a virtual meeting that brought together several Middle Eastern leaders, at the invitation of European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The meeting, held on March 9, addressed the latest military developments in the region and ways to reduce escalation, in addition to supporting diplomatic efforts to prevent the conflict from widening.
During his speech at the meeting, al-Sharaa expressed support for the steps taken by the governments of Iraq and Lebanon to keep escalation away from their countries and prevent sliding into conflict.
He also affirmed his support for Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in his efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
Al-Sharaa noted that Damascus coordinated a joint position with several countries in the region, adding that Syrian authorities had reinforced the deployment of defensive forces along the borders as a precautionary measure to prevent the conflict’s repercussions from spreading into Syrian territory and to combat cross-border groups and prevent them from using Syrian land.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), al-Sharaa said that Syria, located at a geographical crossroads between three active fronts, is facing direct and serious repercussions from these developments.
He stressed that Syria’s position has consistently condemned all forms of attacks targeting Arab sovereignty.
Al-Sharaa also criticized what he described as ongoing Iranian attempts to destabilize Arab capitals, saying that interventions affecting Arab national security are strongly condemned.
He added that Syria’s stability represents the cornerstone of stability in the Levant and the broader region.
Hezbollah intervenes alongside Iran
The escalation in Lebanon came after Hezbollah announced that it had entered the war alongside Iran in what it described as a “support war,” about 48 hours after the confrontation between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other erupted.
The move was followed by a broad Israeli escalation that included intensive airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, triggering displacement among residents as strikes continued against sites linked to the group.
“Al-Asf al-Ma’kul” operations
Hezbollah announced a series of attacks as part of what it called the “Al-Asf al-Ma’kul” operations, which it said came “in response to Israeli aggression targeting dozens of Lebanese cities and towns, including Beirut’s southern suburbs.”
The group said it carried out 38 operations, five of them inside Lebanese territory and 33 inside the occupied Palestinian territories.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army responded by attacking 10 Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs and rocket-launching platforms in other areas of Lebanon.
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