Macron urges Netanyahu to prevent Israel-Hezbollah 'conflagration'

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday urged Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent a "conflagration" between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, during a telephone call between the two leaders.

Macron "reiterated his serious concern over a deepening of tensions between Hezbollah and Israel... and underscored the absolute need to prevent a conflagration that would harm the interests of Lebanon as well as Israel," the French presidency said in a statement.

He also insisted on the "urgency for all parties to move rapidly toward a diplomatic solution" to end the conflict sparked by the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas in Gaza.

"The two leaders discussed the diplomatic efforts underway towards this," the Elysee Palace said, ahead of a visit by the US envoy for the conflict, Amos Hochstein, to Paris on Wednesday.

Hochstein is scheduled to meet with Macron's Lebanon envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian following visits to Israel and Lebanon in June to try to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.

Reporting by AFP