French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called on the United States to pressure Israel to accept a plan for a 21-day ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying an Israeli invasion would be a huge mistake.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz had earlier rejected a French-US proposal for a 21-day truce, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to keep fighting with full force.
Macron, speaking in English, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation there was still time for Netanyahu to commit to the plan.
“And I do believe that the US now has to increase the pressure on the prime minister of Israel to do so,” he said. If Netanyahu said no, Macron said, France would raise the matter at the United Nations Security Council.
“We wait for all the partners to be very vocal and committed with us in order to send this clear message: Israel cannot invade Lebanon today. War is not possible in Lebanon today; it would be a huge mistake, a huge risk of escalation,” he said.
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Macron earlier told a news conference in Montreal that he did not think the comments by Israeli officials on the ceasefire idea were definitive.
French President Emmanuel Macron looks on during a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (not pictured) in Montreal, on September 26, 2024. (Ludovic Marin/AFP)
He also said France was opposed to Lebanon becoming a new Gaza — where Israeli forces have been fighting a destructive war sparked by the Hamas-led October 7 onslaught — calling on Israel to stop its strikes and Hezbollah to stop retaliating.
The ceasefire proposal is aimed at putting a lid on escalating fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, who have been exchanging fire on a near daily basis since the Lebanese terror group began attacking northern Israeli communities and military positions a day after its ally Hamas’s attack.
Hezbollah has not yet responded to the proposal.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed the call for a ceasefire “to provide space for a diplomatic settlement,” in a speech Thursday to the UN General Assembly.
“I call on Israel and Hezbollah to stop the violence, step back from the brink. We need to see an immediate ceasefire to provide space for a diplomatic settlement,” Starmer said.
Britain Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, holds a bilateral meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the United Nations headquarters, September 26, 2024. (Leon Neal/Pool via AP)
Lebanon’s foreign minister also addressed the General Assembly, calling for an immediate ceasefire “on all fronts” and warning that continued violence at his nation’s border will “transform into a black hole that will engulf international and regional peace and security.”
“The crisis in Lebanon threatens the entire Middle East,” Abdallah Bouhabib said. “We wish today to reiterate our call for a ceasefire on all fronts.”
He said Lebanon welcomed efforts by the United States and France to move urgently toward a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah “before the situation spirals out of control, with a domino effect, making this crisis impossible to contain.”
“Lebanon is currently enduring a crisis which is threatening its very existence,” he added.
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