Macron Urges Netanyahu to Avert All-Out War with Hezbollah

French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “avoid a cycle of reprisals” in the Middle East, as concerns of a regional war escalate, according to Macron’s office.

In a phone call on Wednesday, Macron advised Netanyahu to adopt the same approach he had earlier suggested to his Iranian counterpart, emphasizing the need to avoid actions that could endanger regional populations and stability, the French presidency stated.

The already heightened tensions in the Middle East, exacerbated by the ongoing Gaza conflict, have intensified following the recent assassinations of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut.

In response to these killings, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran have pledged reprisals, raising fears of a broader conflict in an already volatile region since the Israel-Hamas war began in the Gaza Strip.

The French presidency stressed the importance of preventing an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, who have been engaging in near-daily cross-border skirmishes since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.

“Amid rising tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border, every effort must be made to prevent a regional conflagration,” the French presidency emphasized, noting that a war between Israel and Lebanon would have devastating consequences for the entire region.

Macron also reiterated to Netanyahu that France’s “absolute priority” remains “the immediate achievement of a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the substantial and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to the people there.”