Lebanon has faced a sweeping Israeli offensive since March 2, which has killed about 850 people, including 107 children and 66 women, according to the Ministry of Public Health. The escalation followed Hezbollah’s targeting of Israeli military sites in response to a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran in late February, shattering whatever remained of the collapsed November 2024 ceasefire. To support the diplomatic push, Paris announced the delivery of 60 tonnes of humanitarian aid alongside armoured personnel carriers for the Lebanese forces. He also highlighted the state’s failure to protect its citizens during 16 months of Israeli violations before the ongoing wider war. Some analysts have drawn parallels between the current political climate and the 1983 Israeli invasion of Beirut. Those historical negotiations, conducted under the shadow of Israeli military occupation, culminated in the May 17 Agreement of 1983 — a peace treaty that was ultimately aborted following sectarian divisions within Lebanon.