Yesterday evening, Tuesday evening, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel to “avoid any escalation, especially in Lebanon,” following the assassination of Saleh Al-Arouri, deputy head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), who was targeted by a missile in the southern suburb of Beirut yesterday evening.
Following a phone call held between the French President and Israeli War Council member Benny Gantz, the Elysee Palace announced that Macron stressed the need to avoid any escalation, especially on the Lebanese front, indicating that France will continue to convey these messages to all parties concerned, directly or indirectly, in the region. .
In its statement, the French presidency reported that Macron had reaffirmed the call on the Israeli Defense Minister to work towards achieving a “permanent ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas, in cooperation with all regional and international partners.
He also expressed his “very deep concern about the very high number of civilian deaths and the extremely urgent humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
In the same context, the French President affirmed France’s commitment to Israel’s security, according to a statement from the Elysee.
The assassination of Saleh Al-Arouri
Al-Arouri was assassinated in an attack targeting an office of the Palestinian movement in the southern suburb of Beirut, known as a Hezbollah stronghold, yesterday evening, Tuesday.
Hamas and Lebanese security sources suggested that Israel was behind this operation.
In response to the assassination, Hezbollah announced that this assassination constitutes a “dangerous attack on Lebanon,” stressing that it “will never pass without response and punishment.”
For his part, the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, described the operation on Tuesday as a “full-fledged terrorist act.”
He explained that the assassination of Al-Arouri is a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and an expansion of Israeli hostilities against the Palestinians.
Haniyeh stressed that the Hamas movement “will never be defeated,” noting that these attacks only increase its “strength, solidity, and unwavering determination.”
