French President Emmanuel Macron is working from the summer presidential residence, le fort de Brégançon in southern France, to connect with heads of state in the region to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and prevent the war from expanding to Lebanon. He and his team still believe that Lebanon can be spared the worst and that escalation can be avoided despite recent events such as the bombing and the assassination of Hezbollah military leader Fouad Shukr in southern Beirut and Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Macron has communicated with Jordanian King Abdullah, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, new Iranian President Masoud Bezhkishian, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he has had several calls regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and preventing the expansion of the war to Lebanon, as reported by *An-Nahar*.
According to French circles monitoring the situation in Lebanon and the French president's communications, making every possible effort to stop the fire in Gaza may convince Iran not to escalate against Israel and urge its partners in Lebanon and the region not to widen the war into Lebanon. In his call with Netanyahu, Macron urged for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages, and the facilitation of humanitarian aid, advocating for all efforts along the blue line between Lebanon and Israel in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1701 to avoid escalation, stating that “war between Lebanon and Israel would have devastating consequences for the region.”
In his call with the Iranian president, he urged him to “avoid a new military escalation that is not in anyone's interest, including Iran, and to move away from the logic of revenge to protect civilians.” He called on Tehran to commit to “calling on all destabilizing actors, supported by Iran, to exercise the utmost restraint to prevent igniting the region.” He delivered the same message to all actors in the region and emphasized the French position supportive of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and its strong rejection of any escalation against Lebanon.
French circles following the regional situation note that the election of the new Iranian president, Masoud Bezhkishian, reflects Iran's intention to reduce tensions rather than escalate them. Bezhkishian appears to the French to be more open, with a personal agenda focused on calming tensions and tightening his country’s stance.
American and French sources agree that Netanyahu is opposed to stopping the war in Gaza since it strengthens his position as prime minister. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged all parties to take action to reduce tensions. Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné, who serves in a caretaker government role, is on summer vacation and has not interrupted it to visit the region, while the French president alone is making communications and efforts to prevent the worst, especially given that France has 700 soldiers in UNIFIL in Lebanon, and the large Lebanese-French community, according to *An-Nahar*.
