France pledges aid to Lebanon as Israel continues its offensive

As Israel continues to launch airstrikes in Lebanon, France has pledged a $108 million package to support Lebanon at an international conference in Paris on Thursday.

President Emmanuel Macron said “massive aid” was needed to support the country which is facing a growing humanitarian crisis.

The war between Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and Israel has resulted in the death of more than 2,500 Lebanese.

It has also seen the displacement of over a million others and deepened the country’s economic crisis.

“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.

“What is needed is to shelter families, feed the children, care for the wounded, and to continue to provide schooling for pupils,” he said.

Macron also reiterated his call for a ceasefire as he convened the Paris conference to raise the $426 million the United Nations says is urgently needed to help Lebanon.

“Solutions must be found more quickly, as it is vital that the displacement of people from the south to Beirut and other regions of Lebanon does not create new divisions among the Lebanese," said the French president.

France hopes financial pledges by participants at the conference will meet the amount called for by the UN.

Italy this week announced new aid of $10.8 million, and Germany on Wednesday pledged an additional $64.7 million for people in Lebanon.

Paris also seeks to help restore Lebanon's sovereignty and strengthen its institutions.

The country, where Hezbollah effectively operates as a state within a state, has been without a president for two years while political factions fail to agree on a new one.