French President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative has failed to break the political stalemate surrounding the ongoing war in Lebanon, as Hezbollah rejects what it describes as “surrender” and insists on pressing ahead with the confrontation.
Lebanese and international observers view Hezbollah's fighting as support for Iran in its conflict with Israel and the United States. At the same time, Washington’s continued silence regarding the renewed hostilities in Lebanon has drawn notice.
Lebanese sources familiar with the ongoing contacts said Hezbollah has declined to engage in negotiations after Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri conveyed a call to return to the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024, which ended the previous round of fighting.
Activists involved in the communications channel quoted senior Hezbollah officials as saying that it was “too early to speak of negotiations.”
Lebanese ministerial sources said President Joseph Aoun informed Macron that any initiative should be presented to Berri, who oversees negotiations on behalf of Hezbollah.
However, visitors to Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that Macron had only informed him of his intention to send vehicles and equipment to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab, speaking after meeting the president, referred to “ongoing diplomatic efforts.”
“There are contacts with many parties,” he said. “The media has reported on them, whether French or, in particular, American. But so far we have not reached a breakthrough that we can speak about. The effort is still ongoing, and I believe the contacts made yesterday by the president, as well as the call between the Speaker of Parliament and President Macron, helped reduce attacks that had been planned against Lebanon, including areas that were ultimately not targeted.”
He added: “I can say the diplomatic effort has achieved a measure of success. We must meet these efforts internally with solidarity. Those concerned in Lebanon must also cooperate with the president, the prime minister, and the speaker of parliament so that we can emerge from the current crisis.”
Meanwhile, former prime ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Siniora, and Tammam Salam visited the president and issued a statement condemning what they described as “the continuing Israeli aggression and crimes against Lebanon and the Lebanese people.”
They voiced support for government decisions affirming that the authority to decide on war and peace must rest exclusively with the state and for enforcing the principle that weapons should be held solely by the Lebanese state across all Lebanese territory. They also called for broad national support for these measures.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, for his part, told Arab and foreign ambassadors during a meeting that decisions on war and peace must remain in the hands of the state. He noted that the government is continuing to work with various international partners to halt Israeli attacks.
Salam reiterated Lebanon’s willingness to negotiate and stressed the need to spare facilities and property from damage amid the ongoing escalation. He emphasized that Lebanon “did not choose this war.”
As diplomatic activity intensified, Foreign Minister Youssef Raji held a phone call with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, asking Muscat to use its diplomatic influence with the relevant parties to prevent the conflict from being drawn onto Lebanese territory.
Raji also received calls from several European foreign ministers, including Germany’s Johann Wadephul, Ireland’s Helen McEntee, Spain’s José Manuel Albares, Belgium’s Maxime Prévot, and Montenegro’s Ervin Ibrahimović.
The ministers collectively expressed solidarity with Lebanon while welcoming the Lebanese government’s decision to ban Hezbollah’s military and security activities and require the group to surrender its weapons. They also affirmed their readiness to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance.
In turn, Raji expressed deep appreciation for the supportive positions of his counterparts and urged them to mobilize their international contacts to press for an end to the attacks and to spare civilian infrastructure from being targeted.
