Macron Calls for Ceasefire in the Middle East During Eid al-Fitr

JAKARTA - French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a ceasefire in the Middle East during religious holidays, as a new effort to resolve the Iranian conflict through negotiations.

"As this region enters the religious holiday season, I think everyone should calm down and the military operation should be stopped for at least a few days to give another chance for negotiations," Macron said ahead of the EU leaders' summit.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched an attack on targets in Iran, including in Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties and killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran responded by attacking Israeli territory and US military facilities in the Middle East.

The US and Israel initially claimed their "preemptive" attack was necessary to counter a perceived threat from Iran's nuclear program, but they soon made it clear they wanted to see a change of power in Iran.