"France is working with its partners to prevent the conflict from spreading further in the region," Macron said on X, highlighting the "key stabilising role" played by the United Nations Interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

"The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and Lebanon, as for every country in the region, must be respected," he said.

Two UN peacekeepers from Ghana were critically wounded in the missile attack on their position in the town of Qawzah, according to Lebanese state media and the Ghanaian military.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Israel of targeting them, as the war unleashed by US-Israeli strikes on Iran last Saturday engulfed Lebanon.

Macron said France would remain "engaged" in UNIFIL, which includes around 700 French troops.

UNIFIL has acted as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon for decades and was assisting the Lebanese army while it was dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure near the Israeli border after the last war opposing the Iran-backed group and Israel in 2024.

The peacekeeping mission plans to withdraw all troops from Lebanon by mid-2027.

arz/hr/jhb/giv

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