France’s president pressed Israel to avoid a ground war in Lebanon.By World Israel News StaffFrench President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke by phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group collapsed, pressuring the Israeli leader to avoid launching a ground invasion of Lebanon.“I urged the Israeli Prime Minister to preserve Lebanon’s territorial integrity and to refrain from a ground offensive,” Macron wrote Wednesday on his X account.According to Euro News, the call marked the first direct communication between Macron and Netanyahu in months, following France’s official recognition of a Palestinian state in September 2025 — a move that angered Israel and strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.Macron said he also spoke with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun, urging them to take steps to restore the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.The renewed tensions come after a November 2024 ceasefire brokered by the Biden administration halted fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group. Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel began shortly after Hamas carried out the October 7 massacres in southern Israel. The following day, Hezbollah launched unprovoked missile, rocket, and explosive drone attacks on Israel, which continued for nearly a year before Israel launched its exploding beepers operation and assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.Macron’s call to Netanyahu occurred after the Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation notice warning civilians in southern Lebanon to immediately leave the area, signaling that the conflict could soon intensify.“In response to the humanitarian emergency in southern Lebanon, France will take immediate action to support displaced Lebanese populations,” Macron added in his X statement.“Our solidarity with the Lebanese people and our commitment to regional stability remain at the heart of our action.”Macron has long criticized Israel’s military actions against Hezbollah. In October 2025, he said Jerusalem was “sowing barbarism” with its operations aimed at ending the threat from the terror group.The post Macron to Netanyahu – ‘Don’t invade Lebanon to fight Hezbollah’ appeared first on World Israel News.