French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday called on Israel to refrain from sending ground troops into Lebanon and urged both Israel and the armed group Hezbollah to immediately agree to a ceasefire.
"I urge Israel to refrain from any ground incursion and to cease fire. I call on Hezbollah to do the same and refrain from any action that could destabilise the region," Barrot told reporters in Beirut.
He also called on the sides to agree to a truce proposed at the United Nations, stating, "It is still on the table. There is still hope, but there is little time."
Last week, Paris and Washington, along with Arab, Western, and European countries, called for Israel and Hezbollah to agree to an "immediate 21-day ceasefire" and to "give diplomacy a chance." However, Israel dismissed the plan, intensifying its strikes on southern, eastern Lebanon, and Beirut's southern suburbs, ultimately leading to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday.
This escalation follows nearly a year of cross-border fire with Israel, which Hezbollah claims is in support of its ally Hamas. Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza.
Since mid-September, Israeli strikes across Lebanon have resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 people, according to authorities.
