French president is hoping to rise about £300m in funds to address humanitarian crisis caused by Israeli bombing

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Emmanuel Macron has opened a conference in Paris in support of Lebanon, with the twin aims of raising about £300m in funds to address the mounting humanitarian crisis caused by Israeli bombing and finding a way to fill the security vacuum created by the chronic weakness of the Lebanese state.

Most observers say Macron, the president of France, which has historical ties to Lebanon, is likely to have success with his first task, partly owing to donations expected to come from Sunni-majority Gulf states. France hopes this will reflect a revived interest in Lebanon that these states had largely neglected, leaving space open for the expansion of the Shia group Hezbollah in recent years.