PARIS (AP) — France pledged to provide a 100-million euro ($108-million) package to support Lebanon at an international conference Thursday, as President Emmanuel Macron said “massive aid” is needed to support the country where war between Hezbollah militants and Israel has displaced a million people, killed over 2,500, and deepened an economic crisis. French organizers hope the Paris conference, which gathered over 70 nations and international organizations, will raise enough money to provide the $426 million in humanitarian aid the United Nations says is urgently needed. “In the immediate term, massive aid is needed for the Lebanese population, both for the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the war and for the communities hosting them,” Macron said in his opening speech at the conference.
Germany pledged a total of 96 million euros in humanitarian aid to both Lebanon and neighboring Syria, also deeply affected by escalating violence in the Middle East. Italy this week announced an additional 10 million euros ($10.8 million) in aid for Lebanon.
But experts warn that delivering aid could be challenging as Lebanon’s growing dependence on the informal and cash economy increases lack of transparency and corruption risks. The Paris conference also aims at coordinating international support to strengthen Lebanon’s armed forces so they can deploy in the country’s south as part of a potential deal to end the war. Such a deal could see Hezbollah withdraw it.
