Lebanon Says France to Host Conference to Support Army

French Special Presidential Envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian looks on during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (not pictured) at the Government Palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 14 January 2026. (EPA)
French Special Presidential Envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian looks on during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (not pictured) at the Government Palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 14 January 2026. (EPA)
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Lebanon Says France to Host Conference to Support Army

French Special Presidential Envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian looks on during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (not pictured) at the Government Palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 14 January 2026. (EPA)
French Special Presidential Envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian looks on during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (not pictured) at the Government Palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 14 January 2026. (EPA)

Lebanon said Wednesday that a conference in support of the country's army as it seeks to disarm Hezbollah would take place in Paris on March 5.

The announcement follows recent promises of support to the military, which lacks funds, equipment and technical expertise.

Presidency spokeswoman Najat Charafeddine said President Joseph Aoun met French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, Saudi envoy Yazid bin Farhan and ambassadors including from the US, Egypt and Qatar, discussing preparations for "a conference to support the Lebanese army and internal security forces".

"It was decided to hold the conference in Paris on March 5, to be opened by French President Emmanuel Macron," she said at the presidential palace.

Under US pressure and fearing expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which was badly weakened in more than a year of hostilities with Israel that largely ended in late 2024.

Last week, Lebanon's army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the group, covering the area south of the Litani river, around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border.

A plan for the disarmament north of the Litani is to be presented to cabinet next month.
Israel, which accuses Hezbollah or rearming, has criticized the army's progress as insufficient, while Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons.

Lebanon's army has dismantled tunnels and other military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah near the Israeli border in recent months, seizing weapons and ammunition, despite its limited capacities.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah, and has maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic.

Last month, talks with international envoys in Paris touched on the Lebanese army's needs, while its chief agreed to document its progress in disarming Hezbollah.



SDRPY Signs Agreement to Boost Food Security for over 16,000 Yemenis

The initiative targets approximately 2,300 Yemeni families - SPA
The initiative targets approximately 2,300 Yemeni families - SPA
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SDRPY Signs Agreement to Boost Food Security for over 16,000 Yemenis

The initiative targets approximately 2,300 Yemeni families - SPA
The initiative targets approximately 2,300 Yemeni families - SPA

The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) signed an agreement with the Estijabah Foundation for Humanitarian Aid and Relief to implement a project for strengthening the agricultural value chain for smallholders.

The initiative targets approximately 2,300 Yemeni families—representing over 16,000 beneficiaries—across the agriculturally and economically vital governorates of Abyan, Marib, and Hadhramaut.

Designed to address the developmental needs of rural communities, the project supports the agricultural sector as a cornerstone of Yemeni economic stability. It aims to develop an integrated agricultural value chain by improving inputs, increasing the efficiency of irrigation technologies, and enhancing the sustainability of livelihoods for pastoral families relying on livestock.

By transitioning beneficiaries from low-yield to high-value production, the initiative seeks to boost farmers' economic returns, improve food security, and foster social stability. Particular attention will be given to the most vulnerable demographics, including female-headed households, the elderly, and people with disabilities.


Israel Orders Evacuation of Swathe of South Lebanon as Katz Authorizes Military to Advance

Israeli tanks maneuver near the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israeli tanks maneuver near the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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Israel Orders Evacuation of Swathe of South Lebanon as Katz Authorizes Military to Advance

Israeli tanks maneuver near the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israeli tanks maneuver near the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

The Israeli military ordered the evacuation of a swathe of southern Lebanon on Wednesday, telling residents to move north of the Litani River on a third day of full-blown hostilities with Hezbollah.

While Israel has already warned residents to leave dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, ⁠Wednesday's evacuation order ⁠was the broadest yet.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel said on Tuesday he had authorized the military to advance and take control of additional positions in Lebanon, where Israeli troops have held several hilltops since a war with Hezbollah in 2024.

Israeli strikes ⁠have killed dozens of people in Lebanon since Monday, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Many thousands of Lebanese have already fled their homes.

The war in the Middle East spread to Lebanon on Monday, when Hezbollah opened fire, saying it aimed to avenge the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

Hezbollah announced several attacks on Wednesday, including one using what it described as a precision-guided missile that it said was fired at a military facility in northern Israel.

Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin said the Israeli military had attacked more than 250 Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon over a 48-hour period.


Aid Trucks Resume Crossing Egypt-Gaza Border After Closure

Internally displaced Palestinians scramble for an Iftar meal being distributed by a charity kitchen during the holy month of Ramadan, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 26 February 2026. (EPA)
Internally displaced Palestinians scramble for an Iftar meal being distributed by a charity kitchen during the holy month of Ramadan, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 26 February 2026. (EPA)
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Aid Trucks Resume Crossing Egypt-Gaza Border After Closure

Internally displaced Palestinians scramble for an Iftar meal being distributed by a charity kitchen during the holy month of Ramadan, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 26 February 2026. (EPA)
Internally displaced Palestinians scramble for an Iftar meal being distributed by a charity kitchen during the holy month of Ramadan, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 26 February 2026. (EPA)

More than 100 aid trucks crossed the Egyptian side of Gaza's Rafah border crossing on Tuesday, two sources told AFP.

Israel closed all crossings into the Gaza Strip on Saturday, after it launched a joint attack on Iran with the United States.

It agreed to reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing, where trucks from Egypt are inspected, for the "gradual entry of humanitarian aid".

"More than 100 United Nations aid trucks, including UNICEF's, entered the Rafah border crossing" on Tuesday, a source at the border told AFP on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.

An official with the Egyptian Red Crescent, which coordinates aid deliveries, said the trucks "went through Rafah to the Kerem Shalom crossing," where Israeli authorities did not send any back to Egypt -- their procedure when aid shipments are rejected.

Both sources said no Palestinians were allowed through the crossing on Tuesday.

The Rafah crossing, the only gateway for Gazans to the outside world that does not pass through Israel, had reopened for a trickle of people on February 2, nearly two years after Israeli forces seized it.

A statement from the Red Crescent on Tuesday said the convoy included hundreds of tons of food, relief supplies and "fuel products to operate hospitals and vital facilities".

The UN had warned its partners were "forced to ration fuel, prioritize life-saving operations" in the devastated Palestinian territory.

The Red Crescent official said another aid convoy was sent on Wednesday and was waiting to be allowed in.

The October peace deal between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas stipulates that 600 aid trucks should be allowed in per day.