©(Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)
France's Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Monday urged restraint, in meetings with senior officials in Beirut, seeking to de-escalate tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border amid near-daily exchanges of fire.
Colonna met with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, calling for responsibility and restraint a day after making similar appeals in meetings with Israeli officials
The French top diplomat also discussed the situation on the ground with the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Major General Aroldo Lazaro.
The head of the UN peacekeeping mission told reporters ahead of his meeting with Colonna that the situation on the border was "tense" and "dangerous", as hostilities trigger fears of all out conflict. "We are trying to continue with our liaison and coordination role... in order to avoid miscalculations, misinterpretations that could be another trigger for escalation," Lazaro said.
Fears of a widening war have been growing, with other Iran-backed groups attacking US-led coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, and Yemen's Huthi rebels targeting shipping in the Red Sea.
France, which contributes some 700 troops to the UN force in south Lebanon, has condemned recent attacks on peacekeepers and their facilities.
"It is through diplomacy that we must try to reduce tensions. I also say this to those in Lebanon who might be tempted to make the wrong calculations," said Mrs Colonna, in a reference to Hezbollah, at a press conference she held in the afternoon at the French embassy.
The French Minister's visit to Beirut, and earlier to Tel Aviv, must be linked to that of the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's to Israel on the same day. The Us official urged Hezbollah not to "provoke a wider conflict".
Ms Colonna did not mince her words about the Moumanaa axis (Iran and its allies). Referring to the volatile situation in the region, she insisted that her message was "particularly addressed to those outside Lebanon who hope to use the catastrophic situation in Gaza to increase tensions". Before adding: "To be clear, I'm thinking of Iran and all its allies in Iraq, Syria and in the Red Sea with the Houthis.
Diplomacy or force
In Israel on Sunday, Colonna called on all parties to "de-escalate" along the Lebanon-Israel border. "If things were to spiral out of control, I don't think anyone would benefit," she said.
Gripped by political paralysis and a crushing four-year economic crisis, Lebanon can ill-afford another devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which last went to war in 2006.
The French diplomat urged the Lebanese officials to "continue to show responsibility" in order to improve the stability in the country, and stressed the importance of electing a new President. Ms Colonna welcomed the extension of General Joseph Aoun's mandate as head of the army, which she described as "good news for Lebanon's stability".
A French diplomatic source, requesting anonymity, expressed concern that Beirut could underestimate Israel's determination to protect its borders after the shock of Hamas's October 7 attacks. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Sunday that Israel "has no intention to start another front on our northern border" and that France could play a "positive and significant role" in preventing war. But he warned that ensuring Israel's security meant pushing Hezbollah "north of the Litani River", some 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the border. "There are two ways to do that: either by diplomacy or by force," Cohen said.
In Beirut, Colonna said the objective of Israel's "military operations" was "that Hamas will not be able to repeat such acts". But "we have reservations and differences in viewpoints" with Israel, she said. "We ask them to act in a different way, in a more surgical manner".
As concern grows over the humanitarian situation in Hamas-ruled Gaza, Colonna announced a new shipment of 700 tons of aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, half of which is set to depart from the French port of Havre on Wednesday. “The other half will depart next week," she told a news conference, reiterating calls for "a ceasefire... as soon as possible".
Colonna met with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, calling for responsibility and restraint a day after making similar appeals in meetings with Israeli officials
The French top diplomat also discussed the situation on the ground with the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Major General Aroldo Lazaro.
The head of the UN peacekeeping mission told reporters ahead of his meeting with Colonna that the situation on the border was "tense" and "dangerous", as hostilities trigger fears of all out conflict. "We are trying to continue with our liaison and coordination role... in order to avoid miscalculations, misinterpretations that could be another trigger for escalation," Lazaro said.
Fears of a widening war have been growing, with other Iran-backed groups attacking US-led coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, and Yemen's Huthi rebels targeting shipping in the Red Sea.
France, which contributes some 700 troops to the UN force in south Lebanon, has condemned recent attacks on peacekeepers and their facilities.
"It is through diplomacy that we must try to reduce tensions. I also say this to those in Lebanon who might be tempted to make the wrong calculations," said Mrs Colonna, in a reference to Hezbollah, at a press conference she held in the afternoon at the French embassy.
The French Minister's visit to Beirut, and earlier to Tel Aviv, must be linked to that of the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's to Israel on the same day. The Us official urged Hezbollah not to "provoke a wider conflict".
Ms Colonna did not mince her words about the Moumanaa axis (Iran and its allies). Referring to the volatile situation in the region, she insisted that her message was "particularly addressed to those outside Lebanon who hope to use the catastrophic situation in Gaza to increase tensions". Before adding: "To be clear, I'm thinking of Iran and all its allies in Iraq, Syria and in the Red Sea with the Houthis.
Diplomacy or force
In Israel on Sunday, Colonna called on all parties to "de-escalate" along the Lebanon-Israel border. "If things were to spiral out of control, I don't think anyone would benefit," she said.
Gripped by political paralysis and a crushing four-year economic crisis, Lebanon can ill-afford another devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which last went to war in 2006.
The French diplomat urged the Lebanese officials to "continue to show responsibility" in order to improve the stability in the country, and stressed the importance of electing a new President. Ms Colonna welcomed the extension of General Joseph Aoun's mandate as head of the army, which she described as "good news for Lebanon's stability".
A French diplomatic source, requesting anonymity, expressed concern that Beirut could underestimate Israel's determination to protect its borders after the shock of Hamas's October 7 attacks. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Sunday that Israel "has no intention to start another front on our northern border" and that France could play a "positive and significant role" in preventing war. But he warned that ensuring Israel's security meant pushing Hezbollah "north of the Litani River", some 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of the border. "There are two ways to do that: either by diplomacy or by force," Cohen said.
In Beirut, Colonna said the objective of Israel's "military operations" was "that Hamas will not be able to repeat such acts". But "we have reservations and differences in viewpoints" with Israel, she said. "We ask them to act in a different way, in a more surgical manner".
As concern grows over the humanitarian situation in Hamas-ruled Gaza, Colonna announced a new shipment of 700 tons of aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, half of which is set to depart from the French port of Havre on Wednesday. “The other half will depart next week," she told a news conference, reiterating calls for "a ceasefire... as soon as possible".
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