PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday held phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to discuss ways of avoiding an escalation in the Middle East crisis, according to statements from France and Egypt.
The French presidency stated that during Macron’s call with Netanyahu, he reiterated Paris’s commitment to avoiding an escalation in the Middle East and confronting Iran’s alleged efforts to sow instability in the region. Macron stressed France’s desire for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza. He emphasized Paris’s efforts to alleviate tensions arising from clashes along the Israel-Lebanon border.
In a separate statement, Egyptian presidential spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy confirmed that Macron had held regarding the Middle East crisis with President El-Sisi. Fahmy said that both leaders underscored the need of averting further escalation in the region.
The phone conversations come amid heightened tensions and violence in the Middle East, particularly in Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes have inflicted significant casualties and widespread destruction.
