Emmanuel Macron demanded on Wednesday that the truce reached for a ceasefire in Iran "fully include Lebanon." The new diplomatic offensive by the French president coincided with statements to the same effect from the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares: "It is unacceptable that the war in Israel and the invasion of a sovereign country like Lebanon continue."
Macron called his defense council early in the morning and acknowledged that "the situation remains critical" despite the agreement reached between Washington and Tehran. The French president took the opportunity to ask the United States to pressure Israel to achieve a ceasefire to the bombings and operations in southern Lebanon. France has intensified its humanitarian aid efforts and has sent dozens of armored vehicles as a sign of support to the Lebanese government.
"We hope that in the coming days and weeks, the ceasefire in the region will be respected and negotiations will be allowed," Macron stated. "As France has advocated since 2018, that is the path to a lasting solution to the nuclear, ballistic missile, and regional issues related to Iran."
Macron will receive the two French citizens, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, on Wednesday at the Elysée Palace, who were convicted of spying for Iran and released during the countdown to the ultimatum issued by Donald Trump. The two French citizens, who spent over 1,200 days in Evin prison, arrived early in the morning at Charles de Gaulle airport, where they reunited with their families after four years of diplomatic negotiations for their release.