After a moment of remembrance paying tribute to Major Arnaud Frion, who died in Iraq, senators and the government discussed the situation in the Near and Middle East. This was an opportunity for the government to defend its choices in terms of defense and diplomacy and to provide some guidelines for the future. At the podium, the Prime Minister summarized the government’s position: “Adapting a state designed for peacetime to a world that is no longer peaceful.”
To strengthen France’s ability to react, the former Minister of the Armed Forces reiterated the President’s formula: “To be free, one must be powerful.” For this reason, the Prime Minister promised to expedite the examination of the update of the military programming law in Parliament, with a presentation in the Council of Ministers on April 8, before being included in the National Assembly on May 4 and in the Senate on June 1.
In a very Gaullist stance, the Prime Minister is advocating for a strengthening of French power as a guarantee of independence. “But I want to be clear: France is not a party to the conflict. It will not participate in war operations to open this strait by force. It will not be drawn into a war it did not choose,” said the Prime Minister. However, he did mention the possibility of participating in an international mission to defend freedom of navigation in a protective logic.
Despite some points of convergence, left-wing senators regretted the weakness of the French position towards the United States and Israel. They criticized the government for not condemning the offensive. The defense of international law was emphasized as a condition for de-escalation and resolution of the crisis in Lebanon. After the assassination of the top Iranian leader and the start of Israeli-American strikes on Iran, the conflict quickly spread to Lebanon through Hezbollah.
Senators from the left also expressed concern about the risk of escalation in Lebanon, particularly with the Israeli military seemingly preparing for a land invasion in the south of the country, the stronghold of Hezbollah. They called on the government to engage in a “show of force” with Israel to prevent the invasion of the southern part of the country. The Minister of Foreign Affairs responded by emphasizing the work done by the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah and strengthen dialogue between Israel and Lebanon.
(Source: Original content translated and adapted from a professional news article)
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