France–Lebanon relations are the international relations between
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
and
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
. France, the former
colonial power, enjoys friendly relations with Lebanon and has often provided support to the Lebanese. The
French language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in ...
is widely spoken fluently throughout Lebanon and is taught as well as used as a medium of education in many Lebanese schools. Both nations are members of the
Francophonie
Francophonie is the quality of speaking French. The term designates the ensemble of people, organisations and governments that share the use of French on a daily basis and as administrative language, teaching language or chosen language. The t ...
.
History
French Colonialism
In 1920, soon after the end of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, the
League of Nations mandate
A League of Nations mandate was a legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following World War I, or the legal instruments that contained the internationally agreed-upon terms for adminis ...
d that Lebanon would be administered by France after the
Partition of the Ottoman Empire
The partition of the Ottoman Empire (30 October 19181 November 1922) was a geopolitical event that occurred after World War I and the occupation of Constantinople by British, French and Italian troops in November 1918. The partitioning wa ...
. Lebanon officially became part of the
French colonial empire
The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "First French Colonial Empire", that exis ...
, as part of the
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, and was administered from
Damascus.
[BBC: Lebanon profile - Timeline]
/ref> From November 1929 to November 1931, Charles de Gaulle was posted as General Staff of the Levant Troops in Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
.
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Lebanon was initially administered by Vichy France
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the Fascism, fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of ...
. By 1942, the territory came under Free France
Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exil ...
. In August of that same year, General De Gaulle returned to Lebanon, to meet with the occupying British forces who had entered the territory to prevent German advances into the Levant. In March 1943, using the 1932 census, France distributed seats in the Lebanese parliament on a ratio of six-to-five in favor of Christians. This was later extended to other public offices. The president was to be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies a Shia Muslim. In January 1944, France agreed to transfer power to the Lebanese government, thus granting the territory independence.
Lebanese Civil War
During the Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...
, France was an active member in the creation of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon ( ar, قوة الأمم المتحدة المؤقتة في لبنان, he, כוח האו"ם הזמני בלבנון), or UNIFIL ( ar, يونيفيل, he, יוניפי״ל), is a UN peacekeeping m ...
and voted in favor of numerous UN Resolutions regarding Lebanon such as Resolution 501, Resolution 508, Resolution 511, Resolution 511, Resolution 594 and Resolution 599. France was also a member of the Multinational Force in Lebanon
The Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF) was an international peacekeeping force created in August 1982 following a 1981 U.S.-brokered ceasefire between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel to end their involvement in the co ...
and in 1982, during Operation Épaulard I
Operation Épaulard 1 (Operation Orca 1) was a military operation undertaken on the behalf of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment to land soldiers in Beirut, Lebanon on 21 August 1982, during the Lebanese Civil War.
They were part of the Multin ...
, headquartered from the Beirut Internal Airport, French Armed Forces
The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the French Army, Army, the French Navy, Navy, the French Air and Space Force, Air and Space Force and the National Gendarmerie, Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The Preside ...
and Paratroopers
A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachuting, parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne forces, airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used ...
were sent to the coastal parts of West Beirut and the seaport to ensure peace in those regions. From 1982 to 1984, France was tasked with training the Lebanese Armed Forces
)
, founded = 1 August 1945
, current_form = 1991
, disbanded =
, branches = Lebanese Ground Forces Lebanese Air Force Lebanese Navy
, headquarters = Yarze, Lebanon
, flying_hours =
, websi ...
. During that same period, France lost more than 89 soldiers out of which 58 French Paratroopers were killed in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings.
Post civil war
After 1990, France continued to give Lebanon a modest military assistance. Since the end of the Lebanese civil war, relations between both nations have improved and strengthened. With regards to policy of cooperation and development between both nations, there are five main objectives: the consolidation of the rule of law, economic and social development, protection of the environment and heritage, university cooperation and research, cultural exchanges and the debate of ideas.[Diplomatie: Relations bilatérales (in French)]
/ref> There have been numerous high-level visits between leaders of both nations. After the Cedar Revolution
The Cedar Revolution ( ar, ثورة الأرز, ''thawrat al-arz'') or Independence Uprising ( ar, انتفاضة الاستقلال, ''intifāḍat al-istiqlāl'') was a chain of demonstrations in Lebanon (especially in the capital Beirut) trig ...
in 2005, Syria withdrew its troops from the country. In April 2009, French and Lebanese officials approved the framework of a security agreement that besides improving bilateral relations include drugs and arms trafficking, illegal immigration and cyber-crime.
On 4 November 2017, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned in a televised statement from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
, citing Iran's and Hezbollah's political over-extension in the Middle East region and fears of assassination. Later that month, with the intervention by French President Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017 French presidential election, 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, M ...
, Hariri was allowed to leave Saudi Arabia (where he also holds citizenship) and travelled to Paris. On 5 December 2017, Hariri rescinded his resignation and stated:
''All (the government’s) political components decided to dissociate themselves from all conflicts, disputes, wars or the internal affairs of brother Arab countries, in order to preserve Lebanon’s economic and political relations.''
French President Emmanuel Macron's intervention was aimed in part to put pressure on Saudi Arabia and Iran to desist from interference in Lebanon. Later on, President Macron visited Lebanon following the 2020 Beirut explosion
On 4 August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut in the capital city of Lebanon exploded, causing at least 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries, and US$15 billion in property damage, as well as leaving an estimated 30 ...
.
Migration
Since the French Mandate of Lebanon, several thousands Lebanese immigrated to France. Initially, most Lebanese people who migrated to France were Christians. However, most of those who migrate from Lebanon to France are now Muslim. Many left Lebanon due to religious tension in the country and due to the civil wars and invasion from Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
into the country. There are over 200,000 people of Lebanese origin currently residing in France today.
Transportation
There are direct flights between France and Lebanon with the following airlines: Aigle Azur, Air France
Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airl ...
, Middle East Airlines
Middle East Airlines – Air Liban S.A.L. ( ar, طيران الشرق الأوسط ـ الخطوط الجوية اللبنانية ''Ṭayyarān al-Sharq al-Awsaṭ – al-Khuṭūṭ al-jawiyyah al-lubnāniyyah''), more commonly known as Middle ...
and Transavia France.
Trade
In 2016, trade between France and Lebanon totaled €934 million Euros. France is one of Lebanon's main trading partners and more than 4,500 French companies export to Lebanon. In 2015, French direct investment in Lebanon totaled €534 million Euros. Nearly a hundred French companies operate in Lebanon in various sectors such as in the agricultural, telecommunications, retail, petroleum industry and financial services.

Resident diplomatic missions
* France has an embassy in Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
.
* Lebanon has an embassy in Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
and a consulate-general in Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fran ...
.Embassy of Lebanon in Paris
/ref>
See also
* French mandate of Lebanon
The State of Greater Lebanon ( ar, دولة لبنان الكبير, Dawlat Lubnān al-Kabīr; french: État du Grand Liban), informally known as French Lebanon, was a state declared on 1 September 1920, which became the Lebanese Republic ( ar, ...
* French language in Lebanon
French is the second language of Lebanon, with about 45% of the population being Francophone. A law determines the cases in which the French language is to be used within government, and is often used as a prestige language for business, diploma ...
* French people in Lebanon
French people in Lebanon (or French Lebanese) are French citizens resident in Lebanon, including many binationals and persons of mixed ancestry. French statistics estimated that there were around 21,500 French citizens living in Lebanon in 2011. ...
* Grand Lycée Franco-Libanais
* Lebanese people in France
* List of Ambassadors of France to Lebanon
* Lycée Franco-Libanais Habbouche-Nabatieh
References
Bibliography
* Marc Baronnet, ''Les relations franco-libanaises'', 1997, published in 2008 by Lulu.com, .
External links
*
Relations Franco-Libanaises sur le site du Ministère des Affaires étrangères et des Émigrants
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:France-Lebanon relations
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
Bilateral relations of Lebanon
Relations of colonizer and former colony