Macron says France stands by Lebanon, calls to deescalate, doesn’t mention Hezbollah
In video to Lebanese people, French president says he has spoken with regional leaders, mentions ‘grief for all civilian victims of attacks’ in Lebanon
French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the Lebanese people in a video message in recent days in which he said France stands by Lebanon, while urging the country to back away from war with Israel, as hostilities between the Jewish state and the Hezbollah terror group continue to escalate.
Macron made no explicit mention of Hezbollah in his Friday comments, or its part in the spiraling situation.
This past week saw attacks on the terror group that included the widespread detonations of Hezbollah communication devices, in actions widely attributed to Israel; and an Israeli airstrike on a building in a Beirut suburb that killed multiple senior Hezbollah commanders. Lebanese officials say the attacks also killed civilians, including women and children.
For its part, Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets at northern Israel in that time span.
“Lebanon is struck by grief and fear, grief for all the civilian victims of this week’s attacks,” Macron said with French and Lebanese flags behind him.
“While your country continues to overcome trials, Lebanon cannot live in fear of an imminent war. And I tell you very clearly, as I have told everyone, we must reject this as an inevitability,” Macron continued.
“I had the opportunity to speak with your leaders, and also with the key players in the crisis, from Israel to Iran. I told them that Lebanon must be preserved and war avoided. And it is also up to your political leaders to act in this sense, and that is what I told them. A diplomatic path exists, it is demanding, and it is the one that France wants to trace for Lebanon with all its partners.”
Macron said France was working on a diplomatic solution because of its values and “fraternal feelings” for Lebanon. “We are doing so clearly and by telling the truth to everyone, Israelis, Iranians, international and regional partners, Lebanese leaders,” he said, adding that “no regional adventure, no private interest, no loyalty to any cause whatsoever deserves to trigger a conflict in Lebanon.”
أيّتها اللبنانيات، أيّها اللبنانيون، أصدقائي الأعزاء. pic.twitter.com/HPQNoDCcHE
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 20, 2024
Macron finished his remarks by commenting on Lebanon’s volatile political situation, which has seen the country without a president for nearly two years. “You need a president at this moment to assume the leadership of the country in the face of the threats weighing on you. And it is the responsibility of all political parties to take their responsibilities and the president of parliament to bring them together as soon as possible.”
Channel 12 reported Friday that Macron had had a stern phone conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he told the premier, “You have a responsibility to prevent escalation. There is a diplomatic path. This is the moment to show leadership and responsibility. Your activities in the north are pushing the region to war.”
Netanyahu reportedly responded: “Instead of pressuring us, the time has come for you to pressure Hezbollah. We will return our citizens home. That is a decision we made this week and will implement.”
The two are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly later this week, though the premier’s travel plans are now in question due to escalating violence.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 22 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 504 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 79 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have also been killed.
