BEIRUT: The Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, asked Greece to continue to support his country’s army and official security forces as Beirut seeks to address what he described as two existential challenges: the continued presence of Israeli troops in Lebanese territory, and weapons belonging to armed groups that remain outside the authority of the state.

Aoun made his appeal during talks in Athens on Monday with Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas and other senior officials. He said Lebanon’s approach required both of these issues to be tackled “simultaneously and in parallel” through a full Israeli withdrawal and the extension of the exclusive authority of the state across Lebanese territory.

“The objective of negotiations with Israel is to end the state of hostility,” Aoun said during a press conference, in reference to ongoing diplomatic talks between the countries mediated by the US.

“We are advocates of peace and insist on ending this state of hostility. Lebanon and its people are tired of wars.”

He also referred to a framework agreement signed by Lebanon, Israel and the US at the end of June with the aim of ending hostilities and paving the way for long-term peace, and called for its full implementation.

“We ask Greece to help, as much as possible, to ensure the agreement is implemented,” Aoun said. “Attempts to solve the problem through military means have failed and will continue to fail. Diplomacy offers the best solution.”

He added that the stability of Lebanon was important not only for the country itself but for the wider region and Europe, and warned that renewed instability could have far-reaching consequences.

Tasoulas reaffirmed Greece’s support for Lebanon, and said talks between Lebanon and Israel could help strengthen Lebanese sovereignty and prosperity, and facilitate implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The resolution, adopted by the Security Council in 2006 with the aim of ending the war that year between Israel and Hezbollah, governs security arrangements along the Israel-Lebanon border.

Athens would also work to deepen relations between Lebanon and the EU, Tasoulas added.

Aoun’s visit comes as Lebanese authorities intensify their diplomatic efforts ahead of a preparatory meeting in Paris on Sept. 17 for a planned international conference to rally support for the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces. France has invited military delegations and experts from several countries to take part.

Lebanon seeks international backing on a range of issues, including efforts to secure an Israeli withdrawal from the south of the country, address ceasefire violations, extend state sovereignty across the whole of the country, and prepare for the aftermath of the departure of UN Interim Force in Lebanon peacekeepers when their mandate ends in December.

Coinciding with Aoun’s visit to Athens, the Lebanese army received a second tranche of Greek military assistance. Army command said the donation included 13 M113 armored personnel carriers and 10 trucks.

The Lebanese army is expected to present a detailed assessment in Paris outlining its growing responsibilities and the resources required to meet them.

A military source said forces were being asked to deploy in the south, secure Lebanon’s borders, combat terrorism and smuggling, maintain internal stability, implement the state’s plan to bring all weapons under its exclusive control, and prepare to take on additional responsibilities as the UNIFIL presence is reduced.

Its requirements include vehicles, transport and communications equipment, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, drones, radar, engineering equipment for the detection of tunnels and clearing mines, and the construction of additional military posts.

Lebanese authorities are also expected to tell donor countries that implementation of the state’s plan to restrict possession of weapons to official forces cannot be judged solely against fixed deadlines. They are expected to argue that implementation will depend on the availability of resources, political backing and, critically, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to their attacks.

The planned international conference in support of the Lebanese army has been postponed several times, with no final date yet announced. The delays have been linked to a desire by France to hold the conference at a political moment when pledges can be converted into a practical program that ties international funding to the army’s ability to carry out its expanded security role.

The Lebanese presidency has previously outlined a 10-year plan, requiring about $1 billion annually, to support the army as it takes on what officials describe as one of its most sensitive missions: ensuring that all weapons in the country are under the exclusive control of the Lebanese state and not armed militias.

The Paris conference was initially scheduled for March 5 but postponed following the outbreak of the war between the US and Iran at the end of February, and Hezbollah’s involvement in it. A preparatory meeting had been held in Cairo on Feb. 24, during which Lebanon presented the army’s equipment and financing needs. The EU expressed at the time its readiness to provide about $100 million in assistance.

In October 2024, a conference in Paris on aid for Lebanon raised more than $800 million in humanitarian assistance and support for people displaced by the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Lebanese authorities also secured about $200 million in support for the army, the French Foreign Ministry said at the time.

As he opened that conference, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, called for the war to end as quickly as possible and urged Hezbollah to halt what he described as its provocations, while warning Israel that military gains did not necessarily translate into a victory in Lebanon.