Speaking With President Macron, PM Netanyahu Says Restrictions On Israel Will Strengthen Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Wikimedia Commons/kmu.gov.ua/men's

JAKARTA - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said restrictions on Israel would only benefit Iran and its proxies, while speaking by telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, the prime minister said.

President Macron said on Saturday that arms shipments to Israel used in the war in Gaza should be stopped as part of a broader effort to find political solutions to the conflict.

"Just as Iran supports all parts of Iran's terror axis, Israel's friends are also expected to support it, and not impose restrictions that will only strengthen Iran's evil axis," PM Netanyahu told President Macron, according to a statement from his office.

Israel has sharply stepped up its attacks on the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group in recent weeks, after one year of low-level cross-border conflict that was launched in conjunction with Israel's war against Palestinian militant Hamas, which was also supported by Iran, following last October 7 attacks.

The Israeli government said it intended to allow Israelis to return to their homes in northern Israel after being evacuated amid the Hezbollah rocket attack which began on October 8 last year.

"The prime minister stressed that Israel's actions against Hezbollah created an opportunity to turn the reality in Lebanon into better stability, security and peace across the region," the statement said.

The two leaders agreed to maintain dialogue on the matter during France's foreign minister's visit to Israel on Monday, the prime minister's office said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot is on a four-day trip to the Middle East. Paris is trying to play a role in reviving diplomatic efforts as the Gaza war has spread to Lebanon.

President Macron told France Inter radio on Saturday his priority was "to return to the political solutions (and) weapons used to fight in Gaza stopped. France doesn't send anything".

"Our priority now is to avoid escalation. Lebanese people should not be sacrificed, Lebanon should not be another Gaza," he added.

France itself is not the main arms provider for Israel, only shipping 30 million euros worth of military equipment last year, according to the Ministry of Defense's annual arms export report.