French President Emmanuel Macron warned Hezbollah and Iran on Tuesday not to open new fronts, stating that even in fierce fighting there are rules.
The president spoke at a joint press conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
We must [fight a battle] while avoiding [setting] a blaze in the entire region. I warn Hezbollah, the Iranian regime, the Houthis in Yemen, and all of the other groups in the region that threaten Israel, to not take the reckless risk of opening new fronts.
He reported that thirty French citizens had been killed during the conflict, pledging to continue efforts to free the French hostages.
Macron also suggested forming an international and regional coalition to fight terrorist groups such as Daesh/ISIS.
The French leader called for humanitarian aid to be authorised and for power to be restored to hospitals for patients and the wounded.
“We are ready to bring concrete assistance to all populations. We are democracies that respect the laws of war, guarantee humanitarian access, and do not target civilians either in Gaza or anywhere else.”
Israel has been allowing a small number of aid trucks into the Gaza Strip since the total siege of the enclave. However, this is only a small fraction of the hundreds of lorries needed each day, aid groups stressed.
Macron also stated that “Israel’s security cannot be sustainable without a decisive relaunch of the political process with the Palestinians.”
Stability in the region … can be guaranteed … by Israel accepting Palestinians’ legitimate right to have a territory and a state in peace and security alongside Israel, since it would integrate, as a primary condition, the Israeli existence and security.
The military conflict in the Middle East began on October 7 when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltration into Israel from land, sea and air.
Hamas claimed the invasion was a response to the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
In response, the Israeli military began bombarding Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli airstrikes has risen to 5,087, including 2,055 children and 1,119 women, with 15,273 injured.
According to Israeli authorities, more than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in Hamas attacks since October 7.
