US Envoy Amos Hochstein's Strategic Talks in Paris on Lebanon-Israel Border and Presidential Coordination

A report by Bassam Abou Zeid, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

Talks held by US envoy Amos Hochstein in Paris were a practical implementation of the summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron last June. In this context, Hochstein met with French Presidential Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian and the Élysée's Lebanon file official, Anne-Claire Legendre.

French sources indicated that, despite the complexity of this meeting—where a US envoy oversees southern Lebanon while a French envoy handles the presidential issue—the discussions addressed both topics and concluded with an agreement to maintain coordination.

The discussions also covered the possibility of combining the French paper on the south and American ideas on the matter into a single document or unified stance, noting that the content of the French paper was already coordinated with the Americans.

According to French sources, the Paris meetings underscored the need to focus efforts on preventing the expansion of the war in southern Lebanon. This was also reflected in the phone call between President Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which largely focused on the situation in southern Lebanon and ways to prevent further deterioration.

The French sources mentioned that the long-term solution plan for the Lebanese-Israeli border is ready for both the French and Americans, although there are differences in some steps and mechanisms, which can be quickly reconciled. Once a cease-fire is achieved, both sides will move towards Israel on the southern front, with mediation from Speaker Nabih Berri towards Hezbollah on the other side. There will also be movement on the presidential front, with the quintet committee playing a significant role, especially regarding the presidential issue.