Lapid to visit Macron, discuss Karish and JCPOA
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Israeli PM goes to France to discuss the JCPOA and the situation in Lebanon.
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French President Emmanuel Macron, right, meets with Yair Lapid, left, in occupied Al-Quds on Jan. 22, 2020
Israeli occupation Prime Minister Yair Lapid issued a threat to Lebanon, urging the containment of Hezbollah in order to protect what it allegedly claims to be its right in the oil and gas assets in the Karish field.
Lapid spoke to the media before boarding a flight for Paris, where he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and discuss with him matters pertaining to the Mediterranean Sea and Israeli fears of Hezbollah's threats to their illegal activities in the Karish field. Lapid hopes to increase pressure on Lebanon through his French counterparts.
Lapid said that “Israel will not tolerate these attacks,” adding that “Anyone who does this is taking an unnecessary risk," in reference to the three drones operation most recently conducted by the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon over the Karish natural gas field.
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A drone launched by Hezbollah over Karish.
Lapid threatened the Lebanese government by stating that they need to “rein in Hezbollah from these attacks, or else we will need to do it,” adding that “Hezbollah should not play with fire,” and that a strike on a gas platform “could be a very dangerous act,” and result in “a deterioration that we are not interested in.”
Pressure on Iran over JCPOA
On a different topic, Lapid emphasized that France's membership in the E3 group of European nations that are negotiating the Iran nuclear deal is a crucial aspect of his trip.
“It is important that our opinion against this dangerous agreement be heard at this time, against Iran’s nuclearization,” he said. “It is also important that the international community knows that on the Iranian issue, Israeli society stands together, as one body, with one position.”
A broader meeting with the two presidents' aides will follow Lapid's mid-afternoon meeting with Macron, whom he describes as "a personal friend", in the Elysee Palace. Later on Tuesday, he will fly back to occupied Palestine.
The Israeli PM said that the meeting with Macron will be an opportunity for him to convince France to synchronize pressure on Iran by both "Israel" and the West.
Israeli officials are expected to emphasize that Iran must not be allowed to extend negotiations, which recently began in Qatar after a months-long break, by the US and the E3 (Germany, the UK, and France).
“We expect that there will be some end to these never-ending talks,” said the official and added that “There is nothing fundamentally different in these talks [in Doha] than in the previous ones.”
On the 4th of July, advisor to the Iranian negotiating team Mohammad Marandi told Sputnik that the United States and European countries are in need of a new Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal with Iran as they are under excessive pressure due to the crisis they created in Ukraine.
Political Analyst Seyed Mohammad Marandi to #AlMayadeen: "Israel's" unhappiness has a very limited impact; the fact of the matter is that the #UnitedStates and the Europeans need the [nuclear] deal very much.#JCPOA @s_m_marandi pic.twitter.com/ROa0dI7nIH
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 27, 2022
"Americans and Europeans are under a lot of pressure due to the wars they have had and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as due to the crisis in Ukraine, which they themselves created, so the Americans need an agreement," Marandi said.
The advisor continued to say that while Western nations want to reach a deal, doing so will require them to adhere to Iran's reasonable conditions and demands.
Read more: Iran: Agreement of time and place of next talks nearing end
