French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called on Israel to refrain from carrying out a ground incursion into southern Lebanon, territory controlled by the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, while the ceasefire proposal presented by France and the United States “remains on the table”.
“I call on Israel to refrain from a ground incursion into Lebanon and to cease fire. I ask Hezbollah to do the same and avoid any action that could lead to regional destabilization,” Barrot declared at a press conference in the Lebanese capital.
The proposal for a 21-day truce made last week in New York, when Israel launched an unprecedented campaign against Lebanon to weaken Hezbollah, is still being analyzed, according to the French foreign minister.
“There is hope, but there is little time left,” he added.
Israel is preparing to launch a ground incursion into southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah’s second-in-command leader, Naim Qassem, declared in a televised speech today that his forces are ready to confront any Israeli invasion.
The head of French diplomacy stated that the text for a ceasefire “seems to be the only guarantee” of an “immediate truce followed by a lasting cessation of hostilities” and added that, after the meeting with the Lebanese authorities, he feels that there is a “determination to support this initiative and to push in this direction”.
As for Israel, he highlighted that there is “daily contact” with the country’s authorities on this issue, without giving further details.
For this agreement to be signed, “political will” is needed from both sides of the conflict, as well as from Lebanese leaders, as they “must restore the functioning” of the country’s political institutions “by electing a president without delay”, a position that is Vacant for two years.
Furthermore, he highlighted that support for the Lebanese Army, “the guarantor of internal security and unity in Lebanon”, will be reinforced.
The head of French diplomacy arrived this Sunday (29) in Beirut, where he delivered 12 tons of medical equipment transported by the French Army, which will be used to treat around a thousand “severely injured” people, according to Barrot.
#France #asks #Israel #avoid #carrying #ground #incursion #Lebanon