The pilots of the Falcon 900, which was carrying the minister along with advisors and journalists, including an Agence France-Presse correspondent and security guards, decided that it would be best for the plane to return to the Villacouble base near Paris.
But Colonna has not completely canceled her visit, and will head to Beirut on Monday, the day after her visit to Israel and the West Bank on Sunday.
Colonna was scheduled to meet on Saturday in Beirut with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in addition to the Commander of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The French Foreign Minister's visit to Lebanon comes within the framework of Paris's efforts to avoid the widening of the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah into a comprehensive war.
The border region in southern Lebanon is witnessing a worsening military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, since the Hamas movement launched an unprecedented surprise attack inside Israel on October 7, which responded with devastating bombing and a ground operation in Gaza.
Hezbollah mainly carries out daily operations against Israeli military targets near the border, placing this within the framework of supporting the Gaza Strip and “in support of its resistance.”
Israel responds by bombing border areas, targeting what it describes as the movements of Hezbollah fighters and its facilities near the border. The intensity of the bombing has increased recently, resulting in major destruction in some neighborhoods of the southern border villages.
The escalation in southern Lebanon resulted in the killing of 133 people, including 94 fighters in the ranks of Hezbollah and 17 civilians, including three journalists, in addition to a soldier in the Lebanese army, according to a tally prepared by Agence France-Presse. The Israeli authorities reported that at least ten people were killed on the Israeli side.
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