French FM Jean-Noel Barrot at the doorstep of the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting at the Clarion Hotel and Congress Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, 22th May 2026. (Credit: Johan Nilsson/Reuters)
BEIRUT — "Nothing can justify" the continuation of military operations and a prolonged Israeli occupation in Lebanon, said the French foreign minister on Tuesday, a day after Trump backed a cease-fire agreement that has so far remained a dead letter.
Israel has carried out numerous strikes on southern Lebanon since Monday night and says it has intercepted projectiles fired from Lebanon. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for an attack against an attempted advance on Haddatha, a village in southern Lebanon’s central sector.
"There is no way Lebanon should become a scapegoat for an agreement that is struggling to be concluded between Iran and the United States," FM Jean-Noel Barrot also emphasized on France TV. He said he spoke Monday night with his American counterpart, Marco Rubio. The Israeli army is conducting its deepest military incursion into Lebanon since 2000, when it withdrew after 18 years of occupation. On Sunday, it announced it had taken control of Beaufort Castle in the Nabatieh district.
"What we want is for the discussions scheduled this week between the Israeli government and the Lebanese government to take place under the best possible conditions," Barrot also said.
This new round of negotiations between Lebanese envoys, led by former ambassador Simon Karam, and Israelis is scheduled for Tuesday in Washington. It is the fourth round of talks since Hezbollah reopened the front against Israel on March 2 in retaliation for Israeli-American strikes on Iran and 15 months of Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon despite a truce in effect since November 2024.
An agreement in Lebanon is crucial for Donald Trump as Iran has made any deal to end the war in the Middle East conditional on a cease-fire in Lebanon.
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