French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that he urged his US and Iranian counterparts, Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian, to include Lebanon in the ceasefire reached with Iran.
Israel announced Wednesday it did not consider Lebanon covered by the Iran-US truce announced overnight.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz says the Israeli army carried out a “surprise” attack targeting hundreds of Hezbollah members across Lebanon after US President Donald Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran which does not include Israel’s operations in Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/UA34Rj5Tdr
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) April 8, 2026
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Its strikes on Lebanon Wednesday killed 182 people and wounded 890, according to an initial government toll, with the capital Beirut hit by the most violent bombardment since the start of the Israel-Hezbollah war last month.
“I expressed my hope that the ceasefire will be fully respected by each of the belligerents, across all areas of confrontation, including in Lebanon,” Macron wrote on X after speaking with both leaders.
He said it was a “necessary condition for the ceasefire to be credible and lasting”.
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Macron is the first Western leader to have spoken with the Iranian president since the announcement of the ceasefire.
He added it must pave the way for comprehensive negotiations to ensure “security for all in the Middle East”.
“Any agreement will have to address the concerns raised by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as its regional policy and its actions obstructing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Macron said France would “play its full part, in close coordination with its partners” in the region.
