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Macron tells Israel that Lebanon war ‘must be avoided’
The French president said “escalation is in no one’s interest”, as he called for restraint in a video message published on X on Thursday. Emmanuel Macron said “a diplomatic path exists”, adding that “Lebanon’s integrity, security and sovereignty must be preserved”.
“Nothing – no regional adventure, no private interests, no faithfulness to any cause whatsoever – is worth launching a conflict in Lebanon over,” he said.
Macron continued that Lebanon was “hit by grief and fear” with this week’s deadly attacks and said the country should not “live in fear of an imminent war”.
Macron met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday, in a meeting in which the pair “discussed the need for de-escalation in Lebanon and a commitment to a diplomatic solution”, according to a State Department press release.
Middle East ‘on the brink’: Norway’s foreign minister
Norway’s foreign minister is the latest Western official to call for calm as Israel and Hezbollah spiral deeper into conflict, warning the Middle East is “on the brink”.
“I extend my heartfelt sympathy with civilians in Lebanon and across the region who now live in fear,” Espen Barth Eide said as Lebanon continues to reel from a series of deadly, coordinated explosions earlier this week. “I call on all parties to show maximum restraint.”
The Middle East is on the brink. I extend my heartfelt sympathy with civilians in Lebanon and across the region who now live in fear.
I call on all parties to show maximum restraint.
To revert to diplomacy.
To de-escalate.
To find political solutions.
— Espen Barth Eide (@EspenBarthEide) September 20, 2024
Lebanon anticipates another round of escalation
We are in the middle of a very complicated and multilayered conflict. Hezbollah’s secretary-general spoke yesterday about the path of this confrontation.
Israel, according to Nasrallah, wants to link the southern Lebanon frontier to Gaza. So Israel is now dealing with the Lebanese front as a priority, and we are seeing a demonstration of this escalation.
We’ve seen reports from Israel that the number of daily strikes will increase threefold. We are probably on the verge of another round of huge escalation but likely still under the ceiling of a war.
