France warns of tensions between Israel and Lebanon
The escalation of tensions between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah since the beginning of October are increasingly worrying the West.
On January 24, France highlighted how important it was for them to “preserve” Lebanon and that diplomacy there “should prevail”, according to The National.
The French Ambassador for the Mediterranean, Karim Amellal said, “The risk of an escalation is very important; diplomatic channels should prevail so that Lebanon is preserved from the opening of a new front in the south,”
The diplomat recently met with caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Nijab Mikati as the pair discussed the Middle Eastern state’s regional and national development.
Hezbollah has intensified the pressure on Israel at the southern border in support of fellow Iran-backed group Hamas as the conflict with them and Israel continues to rage on as concerns about said clashes expanding on a regional scale are ever present.
A high-level Israeli military man said that a full-blown war akin to the one, which lasted a month, between the two countries in 2006 is highly likely to occur.
Military chief Herzi Halevi said recently, “I can tell you that the likelihood of (war) happening in the coming months is much higher than it was in the past,”
In response to the remarks, Amellal noted, “We are very concerned about these statements: they do not seem to be conducive to a resolution through diplomatic means,”
READ: French FM attempts to ease tensions in Middle East
“Diplomacy” is seemingly considered a swear word for the Israeli state as Netanyahu said over the past few weeks that he would “turn Lebanon into Gaza” if Hezbollah did not refuse to strike back as well as continuing to not retreat at least 40 km away from the UN-demarcated border.
The demarcation line, commonly referred to as the “Blue Line” is a boundary dividing Lebanon from Israel and the illegally occupied Golan Heights.
Amidst hostilities in the region, significant French officials have jetted of on a trip to Beirut over recent times including Bernard Emie, the head of the Directorate-General for External Security (the country’s external intelligence service), and then Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
As the under-pressure French president carried out a cabinet reshuffle earlier this month, Colonna was replaced by Stephane Sejourne.
France has become increasingly concerned about Israel’s actions in Lebanon and Palestinian territories and in November, French ambassadors to the Middle East and North Africa criticised Macron’s perceived pro-Israel stance as unhelpful and creating a negative image of the country in the aforementioned regions.
Amellal emphasised the need for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine as well as being strong in his condemnation of the shock attack carried out by Hamas on southern Israel and saying that “Israel remained one of France’s key allies”.
The National
