Why is France so invested in the future of Lebanon?

Analysts say France is hoping to reassert its diminishing influence in the region.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s special envoy for Lebanon, is to arrive in Beirut on Wednesday as Paris seeks to restore its flagging diplomatic role in the country, experts say.

When the former French foreign minister meets President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, talks are expected to focus on continued aid for communities badly affected by Lebanon’s economic collapse, Israel’s invasion and occupation of one-fifth of the country, and the future of the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, which France is deeply involved in and whose mandate is due to end this year.

Israel renewed heavy strikes and its occupation of southern Lebanon in early March after Iran-backed Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes on Tehran. Despite Israel and Lebanon agreeing to a United States-brokered cessation of hostilities on April 16, daily attacks have continued in Lebanon. More than 3,000 people have been killed, and more than one million have been forced from their homes.

On Monday when US President Donald Trump reportedly intervened to prevent imminent Israeli attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with Trump – a sign that Paris is still seeking a role in shaping diplomatic efforts.

But analysts said France is also wary of US overreach in Lebanon and is looking to reassert itself in a country in which its colonial legacy and political interests have long given it a strategic foothold in the Middle East. With its influence diminishing, particularly as the future of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) becomes uncertain, Paris is searching for ways to preserve its influence in Lebanon.

France’s ties to Lebanon date back centuries. Their colonial relationship was rooted in cultural and political alliances with Lebanon’s Christian communities.

The French Mandate from 1920 to 1943 defined Lebanon’s borders, introduced constitutional governance and entrenched French cultural influence in the Mediterranean country. Even after independence, Beirut remained a Francophone hub, earning the nickname “Paris of the Middle East”. French is still spoken by many Lebanese, particularly in Christian communities.

After the catastrophic Beirut port explosion in 2020, France showed its influence. Macron immediately visited the devastated capital and provided a major aid package, showing Fran