French FM in Lebanon to mediate Israeli-Hezbollah conflict
French FM landed in Lebanon on April 28th to mediate the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, according to Asharq Al-Awsat and agencies.
Stéphane Séjourné met with UN peacekeepers and Lebanon’s parliament speaker, army chief, foreign minister and caretaker prime minister in south Lebanon.
He declared that “In southern Lebanon, the war is already here, even if it’s not called by that name, and it’s the civilian population who’s paying the price,” adding that France “is refusing to accept the worst-case scenario”.
Since the beginning of the Israel-Palestine conflict on October 7th, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and the Lebanese militant group have been involved in an almost daily struggle on the Lebanese border which has now killed over 279 Hezbollah fighters.
The conflict has now claimed more lives than the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, which killed about 250 Hezbollah members.
On the other hand, Hezbollah’s attacks caused the death of at least 10 civilians and 12 Israeli soldiers.
READ: Hezbollah fires dozens of rockets at Israeli headquarters
France is not the only country trying to negotiate with the two parties. Western diplomats proposed a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on the condition that the Lebanese group must move its forces away from the border, Lebanon’s army presence be increased, and Israel withdraws from disputed territories along the border.
Hezbollah has shown its willingness to cooperate upon a definite ceasefire in Gaza, however, Israel declared that a halt in the war with Hamas will not automatically stop its conflict with the militant group.
Amid the talks, Lebanese authorities also brought up the issue of the 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon after the Syrian civil war in 2011, calling Western countries to encourage their return to Syria.
Séjourné responded by saying that “all concerned parties must work to make this return possible in a voluntary, dignified and safe manner in accordance with international law.”
Asharq Al-Awsat and agencies.
