French President Emmanuel Macron brought “shame” on himself by calling on countries to stop providing Israel with weapons for use in Gaza, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday. Earlier, Macron said that France will host an international conference in October to boost support for Lebanon, which is currently embrioled in a conflict with Israel. Read our liveblog to see how all the day's events unfolded.
Summary:
- French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called on the international community to halt arms deliveries to Israel destined for used in Gaza – a position which Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said brought "shame" on Macron. Macron’s office later said France was an “unfailing friend” to Israel, and that Netanyahu’s words had been “excessive”.
- The 88 member states of the International Francophone Organisation “unanimously” called for an “immediate and lasting” ceasefire in Lebanon, Macron said, during a summit of francophone leaders being held in Paris.
- Around 374,000 people have fled from Lebanon to Syria in recent days, according to Lebanese authorities, as Israel continues strikes throughout the county. Strikes were reported in the southern suburbs of Beirut, as well as in north and east Lebanon.
- Hezbollah fighters were engaged in ongoing clashes with Israeli troops in the Lebanon border area, the group said.
- More than 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7 last year, with 1,000 of those coming in the last week. The Lebanese government estimates that around 1.2 million people have been displaced.
- Nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon since Israel launched a ground operation across its northern border on October 1.
Yesterday's key developments:
- Nearly 40 medical centres in Lebanon have been forced to close amid Israel's air strikes, a UN agency said on Friday.
- An Israeli strike near Lebanon's Masnaa border crossing with Syria cut off the main international road linking the two countries. Two massive craters blocked vehicles from crossing into Syria.
- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran and its allies would not back down against Israel in a rare Friday sermon, his first in five years, which came days after Iran fired missiles into Israel.
- Almost 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7 last year, with 1,000 of those coming in the last week. The Lebanese government estimates that around 1.2 million people have been displaced.
- Nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon since Israel launched a ground operation across its northern border on October 1.
- (FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)
