France on Thursday said Lebanon must be included in any Middle East ceasefire arrangements and warned of growing security risks in the Strait of Hormuz and fragile regional stability.
Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin called for an immediate halt to Israeli strikes. "There must be a ceasefire on Lebanon," she said in an interview with BFMTV-RMC.
"Yesterday was an absolutely dramatic day for Lebanon," she added, referring to deadly Israeli attacks.
Vautrin said Lebanon cannot be left out of diplomatic efforts following the ceasefire announced between the United States and Iran. "Of course Lebanon is concerned," she said, adding it "absolutely must be included" in the agreement.
She also pointed to uncertainty over maritime security. "I don't know if the Strait of Hormuz is mined or not," she said, referring to earlier claims by Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
"It's clear that the proposed route is at the very north of the strait, along the Iranian mainland … Given the information we have today, we can imagine it's a way of controlling" crossings, she added.
Despite the tensions, Vautrin said France is not currently considering deploying naval forces. "As I speak to you, we are not at all talking about sending frigates," she said, while noting that "nothing can be ruled out for demining."
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also stressed the need to stabilize Lebanon, saying France "strongly condemns" Israeli strikes.
"Today is a day of national mourning in Lebanon and we fully join in this," he told France Inter, warning that Lebanon should not be sidelined amid broader geopolitical developments.
"Lebanon must not be the scapegoat for a disgruntled government because a ceasefire has been reached between the United States and Iran," he said.
Barrot described the ceasefire as unstable, saying it is "very fragile" and that it is too early to speak of a post-war period. He added that upcoming peace negotiations are expected to be "difficult and demanding."
"Clearly, ship traffic is not yet flowing smoothly" in the Strait of Hormuz, Barrot said, stressing that "freedom of navigation in international waters is a common good of humanity."
He also rejected any proposal that would require ships to pay transit fees to Iran.
On Iran, Barrot reiterated France's position that Tehran must "renounce the possession of a nuclear weapon and the means to acquire it," as well as "renounce the use of its missiles and drones to threaten countries in the region."
