PARIS, March 4 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that he had called on Israel to respect Lebanon's territorial integrity and refrain from a ground offensive.
Macron said in a post on social media X that he had spoken earlier in the day with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to discuss the situation in Lebanon, which he described as "very worrying."
He said he had called on the Israeli prime minister to preserve Lebanon's territorial integrity and to refrain from a ground offensive, stressing that it was important for the parties to return to the ceasefire agreement.
Macron also said that, in response to the humanitarian emergency in southern Lebanon, France would take initiatives to support displaced Lebanese people.
At least 20 people were killed and 283 others injured in Israeli attacks across Lebanon over the past 24 hours, raising the casualty toll since Monday to 72 deaths and 437 injuries, Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center at the Ministry of Public Health said Wednesday. ■