France's Macron Urges Netanyahu to Avoid Lebanon Ground Offensive as 83,000 Displaced

Lebanon was pulled into the US-Israeli war with Iran after Hezbollah attacked Israel. As the conflict spread, French President Emmanuel Macron made his first call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since last year, when their relationship strained, urging him to "preserve Lebanon's territorial integrity and refrain from a ground offensive." Macron also spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, pressing for a return to the cease-fire agreement and demanding Hezbollah end its attacks. Over 83,000 people have been displaced across Lebanon. Macron condemned the US-Israeli strikes on Iran as carried out "outside international law," while placing primary responsibility on Iran. He announced France would deploy additional air defense systems to allied countries, including Cyprus, where drone incidents struck British facilities, and ordered the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Mediterranean.