French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian held talks in Beirut on Thursday with President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, reaffirming France’s continued support for Lebanon and relaying “encouraging signals” from Saudi Arabia as Paris presses ahead with plans for two international donor conferences.

Le Drian conveyed French President Emmanuel Macron’s commitment to mobilizing international backing for Lebanon, particularly for the army and reconstruction efforts. He also briefed Lebanese officials on discussions he had held in Riyadh earlier this week, noting that recent steps taken by Beirut had been welcomed by regional partners.

During their meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, President Aoun thanked France for its role in preparing the upcoming donor conferences, saying French diplomacy had been “instrumental” in rallying support. He assured the visiting envoy that Lebanon is moving forward with economic and financial reforms “not only because they are an international demand, but because we firmly believe they are the gateway to recovery.”

Aoun said the government aims to finalize a draft law addressing the financial gap this month and submit it to parliament, following the recent passage of legislation on banking secrecy, banking sector restructuring and other measures.

On the security front, Aoun said the army has been implementing a plan to dismantle both Lebanese and Palestinian armed factions south of the Litani River. But he warned that Israel’s continued occupation of Lebanese territory was preventing the military from completing its deployment to the international border.

“Lebanon has repeatedly called for Israel to abide by the agreement announced on November 27, but none of these appeals have been met,” Aoun was quoted as telling Le Drian, adding that Israel has continued its attacks, refused to return Lebanese detainees, and failed to comply with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.

The president argued that French and U.S. pressure on Israel to halt hostilities would help the army fully implement its disarmament plan, which was endorsed by the cabinet last week. He said the military has strict orders to confiscate weapons and ammunition from all parties and continues to man checkpoints across the country and along the borders.

Aoun also welcomed the U.N. decision to extend the mandate of peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon by 16 months, calling it a measure that would allow for an orderly withdrawal of UNIFIL units and give the Lebanese army time to strengthen its capabilities “especially if Israel withdraws and ends its aggressions.”

He stressed that Lebanon views support for the army as equal in importance to reconstruction, since “the role of the armed forces in preserving security and stability provides the right climate for rebuilding and economic revival.”

Despite political divisions, Aoun insisted that “Lebanese unity is unshakable,” describing differences of opinion as natural in a democracy but denying any risk of fractures over national fundamentals.

For his part, Le Drian conveyed Macron’s greetings and reiterated Paris’ readiness to support Lebanon across all sectors, noting that recent measures by Beirut – including the army’s weapons control plan and new economic and financial reforms – had been seen abroad as “positive steps” that could help unlock greater international aid.