French defense minister Sebastien Lecornu concluded a two-day-visit to Beirut on Tuesday in which he met Lebanese counterpart Maurice Sleem, and offered support to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) during Beirut's financial crisis and presidential vacuum.
The meeting also included Anne Grillo, the French ambassador to Lebanon. The delegation conveyed a message from French President Emmanuel Macron to create a program of military cooperation between the two countries and boost support to the Lebanese Army, Lebanon's national news agency reported.
France has been among the main supporters of the Lebanese army and has launched previous initiatives to ramp up aid amid the country’s worsening economic and political crisis. In 2018, France provided $17 million worth of aid to the Lebanese army, Reuters reported.