France and Turkiye demand Lebanon ceasefire
Shafaq News- Paris
French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday, pushed for the implementation of a ceasefire in Lebanon, while stressing the need to protect maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a phone call, the two leaders also reiterated the importance of pursuing a durable diplomatic settlement to the conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel, calling for continued efforts to reduce escalation across the Middle East.
Je viens de m’entretenir avec le Président @RTErdogan. Nous avons d'abord évoqué la situation au Proche et au Moyen-Orient, pour appeler au respect du cessez-le-feu et à son application au Liban, au respect de la liberté de navigation dans le détroit…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 11, 2026
The call comes as negotiations between Iran and the United States in Islamabad are already underway. Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, noted that Tehran will not allow the “isolation of allied forces in Lebanon,” pointing to coordination between Islamabad and Beirut to ensure a ceasefire across all fronts.
A two-week ceasefire was declared on April 8 between Washington and Tehran, brokered by Pakistan, to halt the war that began on February 28 and has killed more than 3,000 people in Iran, according to the country’s forensic authority.
Pakistani officials indicated that Lebanon was included, while US President Donald Trump described Israeli activity there as a separate “skirmish” linked to Hezbollah and outside the framework.
