Just two days after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was shot dead in Lebanon in an Israeli air strike, France's new Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot headed to Beirut.
"France stands alongside Lebanon during its most difficult moments," he said, exhorting Hezbollah and Israel to commit to a 21-day ceasefire plan laid out by France and the US.
Ten days earlier, President Emmanuel Macron had addressed Lebanese people directly in a video posted on social media.
"Lebanon is struck by grief and fear," he declared, flanked by French and Lebanese flags. Without mentioning Hezbollah, he said he was working on a diplomatic solution in the light of France’s values and "fraternal feelings" for Lebanon.
While France has provided its former protectorate with humanitarian aid – including 12 tonnes of medicines and medical equipment, and 10 million euros – its diplomatic efforts appear to have had little impact as Lebanon lurches closer to an all-out conflict on its soil.
"Emmanuel Macron and Jean-Noel Barrot are first and foremost involved in a communications exercise," says Middle East specialist Fabrice Balanche.
"Since the president lost power on the domestic front, he has to exist on the international scene. And Barrot, who is completely unknown to the public, is looking to make a name for himself."
The bottom line, Balanche notes, is that France has lost its political clout in Lebanon: "In 10 years French influence has collapsed."