French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing ahead with plans for a new European military presence in Lebanon while struggling with mounting political and economic turmoil at home, even as the initiative encounters resistance from a key European partner and Washington considers an alternative that may not require troops.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that he had discussed the future of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) with Macron, suggesting that a replacement monitoring mechanism could be civilian rather than military.

"It doesn't have to be a military mission. It could be a civilian mission," Rubio said inMacron faces growing domestic pressure, with France experiencing widespread demonstrations over rising living costs, wages and deteriorating public services.

The unrest has further complicated the government's efforts to pass its 2027 budget, as mounting debt and political divisions limit its room to maneuver, Hezbollah continues to refuse disarmament while Israeli forces maintain positions in southern Lebanon.

A U.S.-brokered framework agreement reached in June linked a phased Israeli withdrawal to the verified disarmament of armed groups and the deployment of Lebanese forces. But implementation has stalled beyond the initial pilot areas, and negotiations in October ended without agreement.

Rather than committing additional troops, Rodan-Benzaquen argued that Paris should focus on using its diplomatic influence to strengthen the Lebanese government's efforts to disarm Hezbollah.

"France’s greatest leverage is notably in Beirut. The Lebanese cabinet has already outlawed Hezbollah’s military activity. Paris should work with the Lebanese government to press disarming Hezbollah. Israel needs credible evidence that Hezbollah cannot return to an area its troops are eventually leaving. Beirut needs confidence that once its army secures that area, the agreed Israeli withdrawal will eventually follow. That is where French diplomacy can make a difference."

The debate follows the Security Council statement, the French Mission to the U.N. said: "France will support UNIFIL until the expiration of its mandate. It will contribute to defining the future international engagement in Lebanon, in support of its sovereignty and the implementation of resolution 1701."

U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told Fox News Digital that Secretary-General António Guterres presented three options for a future U.N. presence in June, but the Security Council has not formally selected one.

He added that the U.N. is aware of discussions about a possible non-U.N. military presence in southern Lebanon but is not directly involved in those negotiations.

With UNIFIL's mandate approaching expiration, France faces the challenge of securing agreement not only on which countries would contribute personnel, but also on what those forces would be authorized to do in a country where Hezbollah remains armed and Israeli troops have yet to fully withdraw.

The Italian government has not responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Requests for comment were also sent to the State Department, Spanish and Lebanese authorities.