French President Emmanuel Macron urged his US counterpart Donald Trump and Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday to extend the recently agreed ceasefire with Iran to Lebanon. He described this extension as a necessary condition for a credible and durable agreement. The calls come after Israeli strikes on Beirut that killed at least 182 people and injured 890, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
Emmanuel Macron pressed Donald Trump and Massoud Pezeshkian on the need for full respect of the ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon. "I expressed my hope that the ceasefire be fully respected by all belligerents, on all fronts of confrontation, including in Lebanon. This is a necessary condition for this ceasefire to be credible and durable," he stated on platform X.
The ceasefire, announced overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, should pave the way for comprehensive negotiations on Middle East security. Macron is the first Western leader to speak with the Iranian president since the announcement. It marks their fourth call since the Iran conflict began on February 28.
The French president also spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. "I expressed France's full solidarity in the face of the indiscriminate strikes carried out by Israel in Lebanon today, which caused numerous civilian victims. We condemn them in the strongest terms," he noted.
Macron added that these strikes threaten the ceasefire's sustainability and that Lebanon must be included. He stressed preserving Lebanon's territorial integrity and supporting Hezbollah's disarmament. Any agreement must address Iran's nuclear and ballistic programs, regional policy, and obstructions in the Strait of Hormuz.
