French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran must also cover Israel’s strikes in Lebanon.
“The situation in Lebanon is critical,” Macron warned Wednesday ahead of a meeting of the French defense council. “The recent Israeli strikes and occupation in southern Lebanon are not the right response,” he added.
Israel has repeatedly targeted Lebanon following an attack by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in March. According to Lebanese authorities, the Israeli offensive has claimed over 1,500 lives. In late March, Israel’s defense minister stated that Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon — a region it illegally occupied from 1982 to 2000 — even after the current conflict ends.
Macron has consistently condemned attacks on Lebanon, one of France’s closest Middle East allies, and called on the Israeli government to engage in talks with Lebanese officials. France has also accused Israeli forces of attempting to “intimidate” French troops participating in a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the region.
However, it remains uncertain whether the Pakistani-brokered U.S.-Iran ceasefire — which Macron described as “a very good thing” — will extend to Lebanon as he hopes. While Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif indicated it would, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated overnight that the ceasefire “does not include Lebanon.” (Agency)
