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French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel to stop its ongoing strikes on southern Lebanon, describing the attacks as indiscriminate and declaring the situation on the ground intolerable and unacceptable.
Macron made the remarks at a joint press conference held at the Elysee Palace in Paris alongside Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. The two leaders met to discuss, among other issues, the conflict in Lebanon, where both France and Indonesia maintain troops under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL.
"We once again call for these attacks to stop, for peace to be restored, for negotiations to resume and for a lasting solution to be built," Macron said, stressing that there was no justification for the continuing strikes.
Drawing a direct connection between the two countries' stakes in the conflict, Macron noted that France and Indonesia have each lost soldiers while serving under the UNIFIL mandate. "Both our nations have shared the experience of losing their children while defending Lebanon and the international community," he said.
Macron emphasized that France and Indonesia remain committed to Lebanon's stability and sovereignty and that their UNIFIL contingents continue to operate in coordination.
UNIFIL, established by the UN Security Council in 1978, was significantly reinforced following the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war and currently deploys thousands of troops along the Blue Line separating Lebanon from Israel. France and Indonesia are among its major troop-contributing nations.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17 and was extended by 45 days as of May 17, Israeli military operations against Lebanon have continued. According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, Israeli strikes carried out since March 2 have killed at least 3,324 people, a toll that has risen by 55 since the ceasefire entered into force.
Macron cited figures of more than 3,000 people killed and one million displaced in Lebanon, underscoring the scale of the humanitarian toll as he pressed for an immediate halt to hostilities.
Beyond an immediate ceasefire, Macron called for the resumption of negotiations and the construction of a durable political solution, framing the joint Franco-Indonesian position as part of a broader international effort to stabilize Lebanon.
The meeting between Macron and Subianto reflects growing diplomatic coordination among countries with active peacekeeping commitments in the region, as pressure mounts on Israel over its continued military operations despite the existing ceasefire agreement.
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