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Following the scheduled departure of UNIFIL, several Powers negotiated the future security arrangements in southern Lebanon. France, the United States, Israel, Turkey and Saudi Arabia defend different priorities around the role of the Lebanese army, the disarmament of Hezbollah, the Israeli withdrawal and the mandate of a possible international long-term replacement force.

The Paris meeting confirmed political support for the Lebanese army without leading to major financial commitments. No collective amount or final schedule for the donor conference was announced. Behind diplomatic mobilization, financing, political conditions and articulation with the Israeli withdrawal therefore remain to be negotiated in concrete terms.

The Lebanese army would need $5 billion to assume post-UNIFIL missions in the South. This amount, which has not yet been officially confirmed, reveals the magnitude of military, logistical and financial needs, while international partners are still discussing the financing and conditions that could accompany their future support.

Joseph Aoun, Emmanuel Macron and King Abdullah II of Jordan met Thursday, September 17, 2026 in Paris before an international meeting dedicated to supporting the Lebanese Army and the Internal Security Forces. Discussions focused on the needs of security institutions, the situation in South Lebanon and preparations for the post-Final era. The Lebanese President called for a clear roadmap and timetable for the future international support conference, while Paris and Amman are seeking to further coordinate international aid.

On Thursday, September 17, 2026, incidents occurred between depositors and security forces in central Beirut, in particular in front of Bank of Beirut near the Grand Serail. Several protesters were injured in a mobilisation demanding a solution for bank assets blocked since 2019. Former Minister Issam Charafeddine was also injured in the head, according to the association "Scream of depositors". The movement comes as an IMF delegation is in Lebanon and the treatment of deposits remains at the heart of discussions on financial restructuring.

Donald Trump's refusal to engage US forces directly against the Houthis questions the strategic relationship between Washington and Riyadh. More than eighty years after the Roosevelt-Ibn Saud meeting on the USS Quincy, Saudi Arabia is discovering an ever strong American alliance, but whose military protection now appears less automatic than in the past.

Army, negotiations with Israel and post-Final converge on the same question: who will ensure the security of South Lebanon tomorrow? Paris prepares for the strengthening of Lebanese forces while Washington maintains dialogue with Israel. Beirut thus seeks a new balance based on sovereignty, negotiation and state power.

The leak of information attributed to a confidential note from the prosecutor's office revives the battle around the investigation into the explosion in Beirut port. Names of former officials, complaint by Michel Aoun and secret of investigation intertwine before the decision of Tarek Bitar, leading to a new judicial and political confrontation in Lebanon.

Democrat Gregory Meeks refuses to validate at this stage the proposed sale by the United States of 40,000 £2,000 bombs to Israel, amounting to $2.8 billion. The House's main democrat in the Foreign Affairs Committee raised serious concerns about their possible use in densely populated areas in Lebanon and Gaza. His opposition is an obstacle to the transaction, but the Trump administration has procedures to circumvent it.

The Lebanese Parliament renewed its confidence in the government of Nawaf Salam by 68 votes to 12 and two abstentions, Wednesday, 16 September 2026, after two days of debate in Beirut. Hezbollah deputies left the Chamber before the election and therefore did not vote. The Free Patriotic Current voted against the cabinet, while the deputies of the Amal movement gave it their confidence. The result allows the Salam government to continue its mandate.

As Paris seeks to strengthen the Lebanese army, Israeli critics win Washington. Between conditioned military aid, Hezbollah disarmament and experimental areas in the South, the institution is becoming the stakes of a diplomatic arm decisive for its financing, credibility and future role in restoring Lebanese sovereignty.

From Beirut to Israel and then to South Lebanon, Michel Issa has increased displacement and diplomatic initiatives. The American ambassador becomes a central player in the negotiations on pilot zones, the army, detainees and Israel. Behind this field diplomacy remains a question: what autonomy does Washington really give it in this complex regional mediation?

In Washington, Lebanon and Israel negotiate much more than a military withdrawal. Hezbollah disarmament, military deployment, pilot areas and the security future of the South are now integrated into the framework agreement. Behind two hours of discussions without breakthrough, one question dominates: who will have to act first in order to effectively unblock the diplomatic process?

In Zawtar al-Gharbiyah, the visit of American Ambassador Michel Issa reveals the contours of a strategic experiment in South Lebanon. Israeli withdrawal, deployment of the army, return of the inhabitants and reconstruction could form a replicable model, while Beirut, Washington and Israel still diverged deeply on the criteria for a truly secure zone.