French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot will arrive in Beirut in the coming hours for talks aimed at reinforcing international support for Lebanon, as the country confronts critical security and political deadlines ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for May.

Barrot is expected to hold meetings on Friday with Lebanon’s president, parliament speaker and prime minister, along with other senior officials. According to Annahar, his discussions will center on preparations for an international conference in Paris on March 5 to support the Lebanese Army and on broader efforts to bolster stability at a delicate moment for the country.

According to diplomatic sources, the French minister will also address wider regional concerns, particularly the potential impact on Lebanon of any confrontation between the United States and Iran. He is expected to stress the importance of protecting Lebanon from regional spillover and ensuring that internal political stability is preserved as the election period approaches.

The visit comes as Lebanon gradually enters full election mode, with political leaders across the spectrum rejecting any technical or political delay to the official election timetable. Maintaining momentum toward the vote has become a priority for officials eager to project a sense of normalcy and institutional continuity.

At the same time, the government faces a series of urgent challenges that will shape the political climate in the weeks ahead. Chief among them is the need for Cabinet approval of a plan outlining the second phase of military measures to confine weapons to the area between the Litani and Awali rivers in southern Lebanon. The proposal is expected to be presented to ministers in the coming days, once Army Commander General Rudolf Haikal returns from a visit to Washington.

Progress on this plan, along with the success of the Paris conference, is widely seen as essential to restoring domestic and international confidence in the state’s ability to guarantee stability and move toward elections without major disruption.

French President Emmanuel Macron has invited 50 countries to take part in the conference, along with around 10 international and regional organizations that have expressed readiness to support Lebanon’s military and security institutions. President Joseph Aoun is expected to lead the Lebanese delegation to the event.