French FM to visit Beirut this week to press for deescalation

French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné will visit Beirut this week in an attempt by French President Emmanuel Macron to “prevent escalation in the region and continue to monitor the situation closely,” Annahar newspaper reported on Monday.

Macron had called King Abdullah II of Jordan on Sunday to disucss with him the explosive situations in the region.

“Macron has been urging his foreign minister for a while now to head to Lebanon and focus his attention on the Lebanese affair and the region, knowing that Séjourné as the head of Macron’s party is dedicating most of his time to taking care of the domestic French political affairs,” the daily said.

“The French president’s directions reflect his interest in keeping the Lebanese file among the priorities in order to prevent escalation,” Annahar added.

France had on Sunday called on its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country "as soon as possible" amid fears of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah and a broader regional conflict.

Iran and its allies have threatened to respond to the assassination in Tehran of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, blamed on Israel.

Haniyeh was killed a day after a strike claimed by Israel killed Hezbollah military chief Fouad Shukur in Beirut’s southern suburbs in a major escalation of the conflict.