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French President Emmanuel Macron accused Iran on Monday of carrying out “a disproportionate attack” against Israeli soil, confirming that French forces participated in intercepting Iranian missiles and drones.
“For the first time, Iran has decided to send missiles from its soil to Israel. It is something dangerous, they have decided to strike in an unprecedented way. We have to be on Israel’s side, but ask for proportionality in the response,” Macron said in an interview on BFMTV television.
He mentioned that the attack was in response to an action by Israel against an Iranian diplomatic headquarters in Damascus, but he deemed it “disproportionate.”
Macron disclosed that French planes took off last Saturday night from their base in Jordan at the request of the country and “intercepted” several projectiles in a coordinated effort with the United States and the United Kingdom.
The French president acknowledged Israel’s right to self-defense but stressed the importance of a proportionate response. He suggested conducting “bombings of (Iranian) military interests in a calibrated manner to end this situation.”
Macron, who participated in a virtual G7 leaders meeting on Sunday, will have a conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to once again urge a ceasefire in Gaza.
He emphasized that “Israel can fight terrorism” but must do so proportionately as a democracy. Macron highlighted France’s intervention to intercept Iranian projectiles as evidence of being “a credible partner.”
He also noted the shift in the United States’ position, praising their role in containing Iran with sanctions that limit access to nuclear weapons and the production of missiles and drones that they also sell to Russia. EFE
