BRUSSELS, Belgium — French President Emmanuel Macron tells his new Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call that his nation has a role to play to avoid escalation in Lebanon-Israel tensions by halting support for destabilizing players, the Elysee palace says in a statement.
The Hezbollah terror group, which has been attacking Israel since October 8 in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, is backed by Tehran, along with other militias in the Middle East that have launched strikes on the Jewish state.
Iran should also stop the worrying escalation of its nuclear program and comply with international organizations, Macron adds.
Finally, releasing three French hostages would be a must in order to improve Franco-Iranian relations, he says.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report./
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this