French Source: We Are Working with the Biden Administration to Avoid a Full-Scale War Between Israel and Hezbollah

A French diplomatic source confirmed to "Al-Monitor" today, Thursday, that the deployment of thousands of Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel is a key element of the French proposal to de-escalate tensions in the region. The source noted that Paris is working closely with the Biden administration to prevent the outbreak of a comprehensive war between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. The diplomatic source stated, "We believe that we should not wait for an agreement on a new ceasefire in Gaza to begin working on easing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah," adding, "The idea is to work on this now." This way, when a ceasefire in Gaza is reached, there will already be proposals for Israeli-Lebanese borders on the table for discussion. The current proposal sees a crucial role for the Lebanese army. For this to succeed, the army will need to secure sufficient budgets and be able to operate effectively.