French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized on Tuesday the "absolute necessity to prevent the escalation" of the situation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A statement from the Élysée Palace noted that Macron "expressed again his concern regarding the rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel along the blue line."
The statement added that Macron "highlighted the absolute importance of avoiding an escalation that could harm the interests of both Lebanon and Israel and could represent a particularly dangerous development for regional stability." Macron urged Netanyahu, according to the statement, "not to launch a new operation near Khan Yunis and Rafah in the Gaza Strip."
France expressed "serious concern about the severity of the situation in Lebanon" last Thursday, pointing out the "dramatic" increase in violence along the border with Israel, and called on "all parties to exercise the utmost restraint."
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Louvrier stated that France, which calls for "the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701," remains "fully committed to preventing any risk of escalation along the blue line and achieving a diplomatic solution."
The blue line is the border drawn by the United Nations between Lebanon and Israel. In recent weeks, with ceasefire talks in Gaza stalled, fears of escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli front have increased. Hezbollah has exchanged near-daily attacks with Israeli forces along its borders over the past nine months, resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands on both sides of the Lebanese-Israeli border.
