JAKARTA - French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the ceasefire between the US and Iran.
"This is a very good thing," Macron said ahead of his meeting with the French Defense Council on Wednesday, April 8, quoted by Politico.
However, Macron warned that Israel's military operations had made the situation in Lebanon critical.
He also stressed that the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran also applies to Lebanon.
"What we have witnessed with the Israeli attack and occupation of southern Lebanon is not the right response," he said.
The Israeli military has repeatedly attacked Lebanon since March 2, 2026. As of Tuesday, April 7, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,500 people in Lebanon.
Israeli Defense Minister Katz said in late March that Israel would remain in southern Lebanon - an area illegally occupied by Israel from 1982 to 2000 - even after a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.
Macron has repeatedly condemned Israel's attacks on Lebanon, one of France's closest allies in the Middle East. He has also urged the Israeli government to begin talks with their counterparts in Lebanon.
France also accused the Israeli army of continuing to try to "intimidate" French military forces participating in the UN peacekeeping mission or UNIFIL in the region.
However, it is still unclear whether the US-Iran ceasefire includes Lebanon. Although previously, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif said the US-Iran ceasefire included Lebanon.
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