Macron calls on 'Israel' to avoid escalation 'particularly in Lebanon'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 Jan 2024 05:38

In a phone conversation with Israeli Minister Benny Gantz, the French President reiterates his call for a "lasting ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip.

French President Emmanuel Macron addresses a media conference at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday called on Israel to avoid escalation, "particularly in Lebanon", following an Israeli strike in the Southern Suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut that killed Hamas Deputy Chief Saleh al-Arouri.

Macron, who spoke by telephone with Israeli Minister and war cabinet member Benny Gantz, said that "it is essential to avoid any escalatory attitude, particularly in Lebanon, and that France would continue to pass on these messages to all players directly or indirectly involved in the area", the French presidency said.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah vowed that al-Arouri's assassination "will not go unanswered or without punishment."

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, mourned one of its most devout leaders, who endured 15+ years of imprisonment and was forced out of #Palestine, fearing his influence. pic.twitter.com/ukD6YHP5FZ
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 2, 2024

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati also requested that the Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Abdallah Bou Habib, urgently file a complaint with the United Nations Security Council regarding the latest Israeli violations.

"Israel" assassinated the Deputy Chief of Hamas' Political Bureau Saleh al-Arouri in the Southern Suburb of #Beirut, adding to its long list of crimes of killing #Palestinian Resistance leaders and violating other countries' sovereignty.#Palestine #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/Nj7SNGZFqF
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 2, 2024

In his conversation with Gantz, Macron reiterated his call for a "lasting ceasefire" between Hamas and "Israel", the presidency said.

He also expressed again his "deepest concern" at the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza, as well as the humanitarian crisis unfolding inside the Strip, while at the same time reaffirming "France's commitment to the security of Israel."