Sa’ar to French FM: We want peace with Lebanon but it must take ‘meaningful’ steps against Hezbollah

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar speaks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot about the war in Iran and “particularly about Lebanon” amid intensifying fighting with the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, according to a post on his X account.

Sa’ar tells his French counterpart that “since March 2nd, Israel has been attacked from Lebanese territory more than 2,000 times with missiles and drones. Israel has an interest in Lebanon joining the circle of normalization and peace in the region. The obstacle to this is Hezbollah.”

Beirut must take “meaningful action against Hezbollah on all fronts,” including military, socioeconomic, and legal action, Sa’ar continues, reiterating that Israel is “committed to defending itself and its citizens against this terror state that… is acting according to the Iranian regime’s interests.”

He tells Barrot that Iran’s blocking of the Strait of Hormuz “is not an American or Israeli issue — it’s a global one,” amid efforts by US President Donald Trump to gain international assistance in opening the key pathway for oil.

“The community’s de facto acceptance of this grave phenomenon will encourage harm to the freedom of navigation and global economy,” Sa’ar says.

There was no immediately available French readout of the call.

Spoke with my French counterpart FM @jnbarrot, about the war in Iran and particularly about Lebanon.

I emphasized that the issue of the Strait of Hormuz is not an American or Israeli issue – it's a global one. This is naval terrorism that harms the global economy. It began with… pic.twitter.com/wTH2JJQikK

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) March 18, 2026