French minister tells Israeli envoy to ‘stay away’ from media amid Lebanon row

The French foreign minister on Wednesday hit back at Israel’s ambassador to the US, suggesting he should stay "as far away as possible from microphones" after the diplomat said he wanted France excluded from Lebanon peace talks.

Speaking on the sidelines of an international conference on Sudan in Berlin, Jean-Noel Barrot criticized Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli envoy to the US, saying, "apparently very diplomatic, very refined and very subtle."

He added that Leiter seems determined to reduce the number of partner countries that Lebanon might rely on for its recovery.

His remarks came a day after Leiter said that Israel would prefer to exclude France from ongoing peace efforts with Lebanon.

"We would like to keep the French as far away from practically everything as possible ... They are not necessary. They have no positive influence, especially not in Lebanon,” the ambassador added.

In response, Barrot suggested that the Israeli diplomat stay away from "microphones and TV cameras."

On Tuesday, the French foreign minister called on Israel to respect international law and abandon what he called "endless wars" in the region.

France was also among nations that issued a joint statement on Tuesday, condemning "in the strongest terms" last week’s massive Israeli strikes on Lebanon as well as attacks on UN peacekeepers.

Israel has killed at least 2,124 people and injured nearly 7,000 in a deadly offensive across Lebanon since March 2.

Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the previous conflict between October 2023 and November the following year.