France requests emergency meeting of UN Security Council over Lebanon crisis

ISTANBUL

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Monday that France has requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council amid a rapid deterioration of the situation in Lebanon.

In a statement on US social media company X, Barrot said Paris is taking urgent diplomatic and humanitarian steps to respond to the escalating crisis.

“Faced with the sudden deterioration of the situation, France has requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council,” he said.

Barrot announced that France has allocated €6 million (about $6.9 million) in emergency assistance to humanitarian organizations already operating on the ground in Lebanon.

Paris is also preparing to send 20 tons of humanitarian aid, which is expected to arrive in the country on Tuesday, he added.

The French government has also opened the crisis support fund managed by the Foreign Ministry’s crisis center to contributions from companies and local authorities willing to support relief efforts.

Barrot said France is maintaining contacts with both Lebanese and Israeli authorities to prevent further escalation.

“We are continuing exchanges with Lebanese and Israeli authorities to prevent the country from descending into chaos, secure a ceasefire and pursue the necessary process of Hezbollah’s disarmament,” he said.

Despite a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah since Nov. 2024, Israel has continued near-daily violations that have left hundreds dead and wounded.

Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 400 people and displaced thousands across Lebanon since Monday amid cross-border attacks with Hezbollah.

The escalation flared up since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran, killing more than 1,200 people, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets​​​​​​​.