From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 22, 2024
Official: Visiting French defense chief told Israel Paris weighing steps to prevent Israel-Hezbollah war
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu told Israel’s leadership during meetings on Monday that “concrete steps are under discussion… publicly, discreetly, and secretly” to prevent a war between Israel and Hezbollah, a French official tells The Times of Israel.
“With 700 French troops deployed in UNIFIL, France is actively involved on the ground and will keep engaging towards a diplomatic solution along Israel’s northern border,” says the official. “The basis of such a solution lies in the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1701, on both sides.”
In his meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Lecornu “reiterated France’s top commitment towards the release of all hostages detained in Gaza.”
Three French citizens are still hostages in Gaza or missing.
Lecornu told Israel’s war leadership that France would continue offering humanitarian aid in Gaza, says the official, who adds that French President Emmanuel Macron has asked the Defense Ministry to consider deploying some medical ground support in Egypt to replace the hospital ship, Dixmude.
