Netanyahu criticizes Macron over call to halt sales of arms to Israel used in Gaza

The French Presidednt said Lebanon cannot become another Gaza

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday after he called for halting arms sales to Israel used in Gaza, aiming to facilitate a political solution and end the devastating war in the Palestinian enclave.

In an interview with France Inter radio, Mr Macron stated that the priority should be a political solution and that "arms used to fight in Gaza are halted", adding that his country's priority is to avoid escalation.

He also seemed to be calling for an end to Israel’s intensive assault in Lebanon, stating that "the Lebanese people must not, in turn, be sacrificed, and Lebanon cannot become another Gaza".

Those comments sparked a fierce response from Mr Netanyahu, whose army is fighting multi-faceted conflicts on various fronts with groups backed by Iran in the Middle East.

“As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel's side. Yet, President Macron and other western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them,” Mr Netanyahu said.

France is not one of the biggest weapons providers for Israel. It shipped military equipment worth $33 million last year, according to the Defence Ministry's annual arms exports report.

For a year, Israel has bombarded Gaza, killing well over 41,800 Palestinians in a reprisal to Hamas's unprecedented and deadly incursion into southern Israel on October 7.

The Lebanese armed group and political party Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel the day after the conflict between Hamas and Israel began. Hezbollah, acting in support of its ally Hamas, initiated attacks that led to nearly a year of fighting primarily concentrated along the Lebanon-Israel border.

But in the last couple of weeks the situation has escalated significantly, with Israel invading Lebanon and bombarding parts of Beirut. It has also seen Israel and Hezbollah engaged in armed combat on the border.

The major escalation by Israel has seen a million people in Lebanon displaced, more than a thousand killed, and large chunks of Beirut and south Lebanon left in ruin.

Elsewhere, Yemen's Houthis and Iran-backed groups in Iraq have continued to launch attacks on Israel.

“This axis of terror stands together. But countries who supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel. What a disgrace”, said Mr Netanyahu.

Israel has vowed to retaliate following a significant Iranian bombardment of its military bases and other targets earlier this week, heightening concerns of a broader conflict across the region.