Macron also called on Netanyahu to refrain from any “new operations” in Gaza near Rafah or Khan Yunis.
Paris:
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday urged Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid a “conflagration” between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, during a phone call between the two leaders.
Macron “reiterated his serious concern about the deepening tensions between Hezbollah and Israel… and underlined the absolute need to avoid a conflagration that would harm the interests of Lebanon as well as Israel,” the French presidency said in a statement.
He also insisted on the “urgency of all parties to move quickly towards a diplomatic solution” to end the conflict triggered by the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants in Gaza.
“The two leaders discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve this,” the Elysee Palace said, ahead of US conflict envoy Amos Hochstein’s visit to Paris on Wednesday.
Macron also called on Netanyahu to refrain from any “new operations” in Gaza near Rafah or Khan Yunis, “which would only worsen the human cost and a humanitarian situation that is already catastrophic,” the Elysee said.
The Israeli army on Monday ordered the evacuation of most areas east of Khan Yunis and Rafah, along the Egyptian border.
It did not explicitly announce a military operation, but such orders typically preceded major offensives.
The announcement sparked a mass exodus of Palestinians from parts of southern Gaza on Tuesday, as Israeli forces launched deadly attacks and clashed with militants.
Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP calculation based on Israeli figures.
The militants also captured 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 42 who the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive aimed at eradicating Palestinian militants in Gaza killed at least 37,925 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from the Ministry of Health in the territory controlled by Hamas.
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