Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called Thursday for long-term international support for the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces, saying Lebanon has chosen to strengthen the state and place responsibility for the country’s security and sovereignty in the hands of its official institutions.
Speaking at a preparatory meeting in Paris for an international conference to support the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces, Aoun thanked Jordan’s King Abdullah II for the initiative and for the role of the Aqaba Process in bringing partners together and strengthening coordination in support of Lebanon’s security, stability and state institutions.
He also thanked French President Emmanuel Macron and France for hosting the meeting and for their continued support for Lebanon, as well as the participating countries that, he said, have demonstrated their commitment to Lebanon’s security, stability and sovereignty during its most difficult periods.
“We are meeting today to prepare for a conference to support the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces at a pivotal stage in the history of Lebanon and the region,” Aoun said.
“Lebanon is currently living through a devastating war, with its people paying a heavy price, with more than 4,000 people killed, including 399 women and 261 children, while its land, cities and villages are being systematically destroyed.”
Aoun said Israeli attacks have also targeted medical and relief teams, journalists, state institutions and places of worship, as well as United Nations peacekeepers, describing the latter as a “blatant violation” of international humanitarian law.
Against this backdrop, Aoun said there is a clear determination to rebuild the state, restore the role of its institutions and pursue the reforms the country needs.
He said regional changes could provide an opportunity to establish a different reality from that of previous decades, adding that Lebanon’s domestic drive to build a stronger state is receiving regional and international support “for the first time.”
“This opportunity may not last long. Therefore, we must make the most of it,” Aoun said.
“Our goal is not to manage another crisis, but to seize this moment to put Lebanon on a different path, based on a strong state and effective institutions.”
Aoun said the Lebanese army and security forces are central to that effort.
“Lebanon has made a clear choice: the choice of the state,” he said, adding that the state must exercise authority across its territory, protect its borders and population, hold sole authority over decisions of war and peace, and ensure that weapons are exclusively in its hands.
“The Lebanese army is the cornerstone of protecting Lebanon’s sovereignty and the instrument on which the state relies to extend its authority across its entire territory,” Aoun said.
He stressed that this was not an international demand imposed on Lebanon but “a Lebanese choice, a Lebanese interest and a fundamental condition for building the state that the Lebanese deserve.”
Aoun also referred to the trilateral framework reached with Israel under U.S. auspices and with support from Arab and European countries, saying it aims to end the war and move toward a new phase of security and stability.
“Understandings and agreements do not succeed simply by being signed, but by being respected and implemented by all parties,” he said, adding that Lebanon had honored its commitments.
He said, however, that completing those commitments and consolidating stability could not be achieved while Israeli attacks and violations continued and parts of Lebanese territory remained occupied.
Aoun called on Lebanon’s partners to help fully implement the agreements and to treat Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as a consistent principle.
“We ask for this position for a people that has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to endure the most difficult circumstances,” he said. “But this resilience must not become an excuse to accept its suffering as normal.”
Aoun outlined the growing responsibilities facing the Lebanese army, particularly in the south, where it is expected to strengthen the state’s presence, exercise its authority and maintain stability amid continued Israeli attacks.
He said the army must also confront smuggling and other threats to Lebanon’s security and sovereignty along the borders, while maintaining domestic security, combating terrorism, organized crime and drug trafficking, and protecting institutions and critical infrastructure.
He said the army’s responsibilities would become more complex as the presence and role of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) change.
“This transition must be organized and carefully planned and must not lead to any security vacuum, but rather to a strengthened presence of the state and its institutions on the ground, foremost among them the Lebanese army,” Aoun said.
Aoun, who previously served as commander of the Lebanese army, said he was familiar with the institution and had witnessed the sacrifices made by its officers and soldiers.
He added that the Internal Security Forces also play a key role in maintaining security, enforcing the law, combating crime and protecting citizens and institutions.
“The army, Internal Security Forces and other security agencies perform different but complementary roles,” Aoun said. “The authority of the state cannot be strengthened without strong, effective military and security institutions present across Lebanese territory.”
He said Lebanon’s military and security institutions had maintained their cohesion and discipline despite the country’s severe economic crisis and its impact on personnel salaries and living conditions.
“These institutions have endured, and our task today is to enable them to move from resilience to building the capabilities required for the next phase,” Aoun said.
Aoun stressed that strengthening Lebanon’s security institutions was first and foremost a Lebanese responsibility, but said it also required international support.
“Lebanon is not here today to ask its partners to shoulder its responsibilities on its behalf,” he said. “We are assuming our responsibility: in political decision-making, economic and financial reforms, and rebuilding state institutions and strengthening their presence and effectiveness.”
He said Lebanon was asking its international partners to support that process and provide its military and security institutions with the resources needed to address their growing responsibilities.
“This is also an investment that goes beyond Lebanon’s borders,” Aoun said. “Lebanon’s stability is part of the region’s stability.”
He called for the Paris meeting to produce concrete results, including a roadmap for the international support conference and a clear timetable for holding it.
Aoun said Lebanon was seeking a long-term partnership rather than temporary or fragmented assistance.
He also called for the assistance to be accompanied by high levels of transparency and accountability, proposing a clear mechanism to identify priorities, monitor commitments and ensure that support reaches areas of need.
“We want every partner to know what they are funding, why they are funding it, and what has been achieved as a result,” Aoun said.
He acknowledged that Lebanon could not expect international partners to shoulder the burden indefinitely, saying the Lebanese state should assume an increasing share of the financing of its military and security institutions as its financial capacity recovers.
Aoun concluded by saying Lebanon faces an opportunity to change the course of decades of instability and make peace and security a permanent choice rather than merely a pause between wars.
“The Lebanese have made their decision. They chose the state. They chose its institutions,” he said.
“What we are asking of you is not support for an institution alone, but an investment in the success of the Lebanese state and the stability of the region.”
“If we do not succeed together in seizing this opportunity today, we may not have the same opportunity tomorrow,” Aoun said. “This is a moment for decision, not a moment for waiting.”