LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
Illustrative image – Emmanuel Macron and Stéphane Stayed on October 20, 2022
DIPLOMACY – The fear of regional conflagration is there. An hour after the announcement of the air operation launched by Iran against Israel, Saturday April 13, France immediately condemned it “with the greatest firmness”through the voice of Stéphane Séjourné, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
A message hammered out in the same terms this Sunday 14 by the Head of State, who affirms that this attack “ unprecedented (…) threatens to destabilize the region ”, as you can read in the message below.
Ensuring that France “ works to de-escalate with its partners and calls for restraint », Emmanuel Macron also says “ solidarity with the Israeli people and France’s attachment to the security of Israel, our partners and regional stability “.
The previous evening, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and via him Paris had already accused Tehran of “to reach a new level in its destabilizing actions”. In two messages published on X (formerly Twitter), the head of French diplomacy denounced the operation ” unprecedented “ of Iran and recalled “his attachment to the security of Israel”assuring him of his “solidarity”.
Biden cuts his weekend short, Europe concerned
On Saturday evening, Tehran launched around 300 drones and missiles aimed at Israel, according to a count by the Jewish state’s army. An operation carried out in response to a strike which hit the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1. The Houthi rebels, allies of Iran, proceeded in the same way from the Black Sea as did Hezbollah from Lebanon, raising fears of an escalation throughout the region.
A sign of the tension, Joe Biden interrupted his weekend to go to the White House from where he followed the events live, reaffirming support “ unshakable » Americans towards Israel. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak denounced “in the strongest terms these actions which risk inflaming tensions and destabilizing the region”.
The Italian government, for its part, indicated that it was “ready to handle any type of scenario”. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, indicated that “everything must be done to prevent further regional escalation.” “We must avoid further bloodshed”added the Belgian leader.
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