“I spoke yesterday with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri. We must do everything possible to prevent Lebanon from descending into chaos,” the French president wrote in X.

Israel has been attacking southern areas of its neighbor and the capital, Beirut, since March 2, when the Hezbollah movement launched rockets as part of the response to the aggression launched two days earlier against Iran by the United States and Israel.

Hundreds of people, mostly civilians, have lost their lives in Lebanese territory due to bombings and ground incursions since then. Macron urged Hezbollah to immediately lay down its arms and Israel to abandon any further offensive and halt the massive bombing campaign, which has also displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

He also noted on social media that Lebanese authorities have expressed their willingness to engage in direct dialogue with the Israeli government, whose Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has vowed to crush Hezbollah, a resistance organization whose actions have both supporters and detractors.

All components of Lebanon must be represented in any (eventual) talks, and Israel must seize this opportunity to seek a ceasefire and find a peaceful and lasting solution that upholds Lebanese sovereignty, he added.

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