French army chief calls for 'support' for Lebanese military

France's Minister of the Armed Forces said "we" need to support the Lebanese army and the UN resolution giving them authority in southern Lebanon.

"There is no better solution at this stage than to respect (UN) Resolution 1701 and support the Lebanese Armed Forces," Sebastien Lecornu told AFP, during a visit to the Gulf.

"I have reiterated to each counterpart that we need them to support the Lebanese Armed Forces, both in the central role they play in social matters and in the security aspect."

"It will be necessary to imagine more operational support on the military ground."