Yoav Gallant says Israel will not join French initiative to de-escalate Lebanon border

Defence Minister accuses France of hostile policies against Israel

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Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday ruled out Israel's participation in a de-escalation initiative proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, accusing Paris of being hostile towards Israel.

Mr Macron said on Thursday that France, the US and Israel would form a contact group to work on defusing tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border.

“As we fight a just war, defending our people, France has adopted hostile policies against Israel,” Mr Gallant said. “Israel will not be a party to the trilateral framework proposed by France.”

He accused France of ignoring “the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli children, women and men”, referring to the Palestinian armed group's incursion into southern Israel on October 7.

Last month France blocked Israeli defence companies from participating in a major arms show in Paris. France has also condemned Israeli attacks on Rafah in Gaza.

Mr Gallant's rejection of the French proposal came amid heightened cross-border attacks between Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and the Israeli military.

Hezbollah said it fired dozens of rockets at northern Israel on Friday in response to an overnight Israeli strike on a residential building in south Lebanon that killed two civilians and injured several others, including children.

The group said it fired Katyusha rockets and Falaq missiles at the area around the border town of Kiryat Shmona.

Israeli emergency services reported dealing with a string of fires in northern Israel after the attacks.

The two women killed in the Israeli strike were identified as Sally Sakiki and Dalal Ezzeddine. A political source close to Hezbollah told The National that everyone in the building was a civilian.

Smoke rises from fires near Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel after Hezbollah fired rockets and missiles at the area on Friday. Reuters

The three-storey residential building is between the towns of Jannata and Deir Qanoun En Nahr. Hospitals in the area issued a call for blood donations to help the injured, who included women and children.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati hit out at what he described as Israel's “destructive and terrorist aggression to which the international community must put an end”.

Israel has repeatedly launched attacks against Hezbollah since hostilities broke out between them on October 8, with civilians killed in the cross-border violence.

The target of Israel's latest strike was not immediately clear. It comes as the conflict, running in parallel with the war in Gaza, continues to intensify.

The Israeli military said on Friday two soldiers were injured “as a result of an anti-tank projectile attack in the area of Manara” on Thursday.

Hezbollah launched attacks on northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights on Thursday in response to the killing of a senior commander.

The Iran-backed group fired missiles at six Israeli military sites and used squadrons of drones in an attack on three Israeli bases. Targets included the main intelligence base in northern Israel.

Hezbollah, which announced more strikes overnight, said the attacks were “part of the response to the assassination” of its commander, Taleb Sami Abdallah, on Tuesday.

Mr Abdallah is among 300 Hezbollah fighters killed since the conflict broke out in October, but is one of only two who Hezbollah has formally referred to as a commander.

The Israeli government warned it would hit back at attacks from the Lebanese group. “Israel will respond with force to all aggressions by Hezbollah,” government spokesman David Mencer said.

He added that Israel would “restore security on our northern border”.