Summary French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said he had requested the meeting following the expansion of Israeli ground operations in southern Lebanon and the seizure of Beaufort Castle
PARIS (Dunya News) - France has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council in response to what it described as escalating Israeli military operations and aggression in Lebanon.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said he had requested the meeting following the expansion of Israeli ground operations in southern Lebanon and the reported seizure of the Beaufort Castle.
He stated that Israel has no justification for continuing military operations in Lebanon or maintaining control over Lebanese territory.
The French foreign minister stressed the need for immediate diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions in the region and to ensure respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Barrot also emphasized that de-escalation remains essential to preventing further instability and preserving regional security.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had ordered troops to move further into Lebanon in the battle against the Iran-backed Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire announced more than six weeks ago.
The fighting in Lebanon has been the broadest spillover of the Iran war, displacing more than 1.2 million Lebanese through Israeli strikes and evacuation orders since March 2, when Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones into Israel to back its ally Iran.
The incursion has so far killed more than 3,370 people, according to the Lebanese government. Israel says 24 of its soldiers and four civilians have been killed over the same period.
In the latest advance, Israeli troops seized the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon, the military said, a day after one of the heaviest days of Hezbollah fire toward northern Israel since the April ceasefire, prompting school closures and restrictions.
