On Thursday, the leaders of the United States, the European Union, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire on the border between Israel and Lebanon. At the same time, both Israel and Lebanon stated that no agreements had been reached within the framework of this initiative.
"I do believe that we still have some hours during which the prime minister can commit and give a chance for peace during these 21 days, and I do believe that the US now has to increase the pressure on the prime minister of Israel to do so," Macron told Canadian broadcaster CBC News on Thursday.
Macron added that the whole world is waiting for Netanyahu's decision, since Hezbollah has expressed its readiness for a ceasefire. He also noted that a ground operation by the Israeli army in Lebanon would be "a huge mistake, a huge risk of escalation."
Israel commenced extensive airstrikes on Monday targeting southern and eastern Lebanon. IDF Chief of the General Staff, Herzi Halevi, named this operation "Northern Arrows." According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, the death toll from the bombardments has surpassed 1,500. In turn, Hezbollah launched scores of rockets toward northern Israel. This latest escalation followed a string of explosions involving pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon from September 17 to 18, which killed over 40 and left nearly 3,500 injured.