France's Foreign Minister calls for de-escalation on the Israeli-Lebanese border
The war between Israel and the radical Islamic Hamas has led to a significant increase in tensions in the Israeli-Lebanese border region. Deadly exchanges of fire between Israeli troops and the Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah militia have occurred time and again.
Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said at a meeting with Colonna that his country had "no intention of opening another front on our northern border". France could play a "positive and important role" in preventing a war between Israel and Hezbollah and thus an expansion of the war in the Middle East.
The French chief diplomat will hold talks in Lebanon on Monday and meet the commander of the UN mission Unifil.
The French Foreign Minister also reiterated that the attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen on Israel and ships in the Red Sea "must not go unanswered". Together with its partners, France is considering "several options" to "prevent this from starting again".
Colonna had previously called for a "renewed, immediate and permanent ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip. "Too many civilians" had died. Cohen, meanwhile, reiterated the Israeli position, according to which a call for a ceasefire would currently be a "gift for Hamas".
Hundreds of fighters from Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU, invaded Israeli towns and villages on 7 October and committed atrocities against civilians. According to Israeli reports, around 1140 people were killed and around 250 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
In response, the Israeli army began attacking targets in the Gaza Strip and launched a ground offensive. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 18,800 people have been killed so far.
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Source: www.stern.de
