France calls on US to pressure Israel for ceasefire deal in Lebanon

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called on the United States to pressure Israel to accept a plan for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon, saying an Israeli invasion would be a huge mistake.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz had earlier rejected a French-U.S. proposal for a 21-day truce.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to keep fighting with full force.

Macron told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation there was still time for Netanyahu to commit to the plan.

"And I do believe that the U.S. now has to increase the pressure on the prime minister of Israel to do so," he said.

If Netanyahu said no, Macron said, France would raise the matter at the United Nations Security Council.

"We wait for all the partners to be very vocal and committed with us in order to send this clear message: Israel cannot invade Lebanon today. War is not possible in Lebanon today; it would be a huge mistake, a huge risk of escalation," he said.

Macron earlier told a news conference in Montreal that he did not think the comments by Israeli officials on the ceasefire idea were definitive.

He also said France was opposed to Lebanon becoming a new Gaza, calling on Israel to stop its strikes and Hezbollah to stop retaliating.

Source: Reuters