France’s President Emmanuel Macron holds a press conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Élysée presidential palace in Paris, April 21, 2026. © AFP
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace late on Tuesday, with the president reaffirming his support for the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, three days after a French peacekeeper was reportedly killed in southern Lebanon by Hezbollah .
Paris- French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Élysée Palace on Tuesday to reaffirm support for the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire as both sides accuse each other of violations.
The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect Friday, but remains fragile.
Macron said at a press conference with Salam following the talks that France will help Lebanese authorities prepare negotiations with Israel even if Paris was not directly part of the discussions.
Macron said it was “secondary” for France to be sitting at the table of negotiations, as it is in Lebanon’s interest that everyone helps it in the negotiations.
Paris, which has deep historical ties with Beirut, has sought to play a role in the talks, but has met resistance from both Israel and the United States.
‘Diplomacy is not a sign of weakness’
The meeting at the presidential palace came after the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, came under attack from small arms fire on Saturday, leaving one French peacekeeper dead and three others wounded, two of them seriously.
Both Macron and the UNIFIL force have blamed Hezbollah, which has denied involvement.
Macron said France is ready to maintain its military on the ground, alongside international partners, in a potential follow-up force that could take over from UNIFIL. The peacekeeper mission’s term expires at the end of the year, in line with a vote of the UN Security Council in August.
Speaking at the press conference, Salam said his government was not seeking confrontation with Iran-backed Hezbollah, but that it would not allow itself to be intimidated as it continues direct talks with Israel to end the conflict.
Salam said he would need all Lebanon’s partners to help as direct talks at ambassador level continue later this week in Washington. “We are continuing along this path, convinced that diplomacy is not a sign of weakness, but a responsible act to leave no avenue unexplored in restoring my country’s sovereignty and protecting its people,” Salam said.
Further direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel are expected to take place in Washington on Thursday.
At least 2,387 people have been killed in Lebanon in the past six weeks of fighting with Israel, according to the latest official death toll.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
