France pledges $108m aid to Lebanon as PM Mikati seeks to expand army
Al Jazeera
Israeli strike killed Lebanese soldiers as conference opened in Paris to rally support for cash-strapped country.
France has pledged to provide 100 million euros ($108m) to support Lebanon as President Emmanuel Macron said “massive aid” was needed for the country, where Israeli attacks have displaced more than a million people.
Speaking at an international conference on Thursday, Macron condemned Israel for continuing its military offensive in Lebanon and reiterated his call for a ceasefire.
“The destruction is there. The victims are there. More violence is there. And we cannot accept this,” he said.
Macron was hosting ministers and officials from more than 70 countries and international organisations, including the European Union and regional partners, in the French capital, Paris, to raise donations for the cash-strapped Lebanese government.
French organisers hoped the financial pledges would meet the $400m that the United Nations says is urgently needed.
