Fears of conflict expansion in the ME

Any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon will have serious consequences for Israel, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a phone call with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Iran’s state media reported on Monday. “We are willing to improve our relations with France on the basis of mutual trust,” Pezeshkian added in his conversation with Macron.

Israeli authorities blamed Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah for a rocket attack that hit a football ground in the Golan Heights on Saturday, killing 12 children and teenagers.

Israel vowed a heavy response.

Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the strike.

Macron spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, as Paris seeks to prevent a broader escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.

The French presidency said Macron had reminded Netanyahu that France was fully committed to doing “everything to avoid a new escalation in the region by passing messages to all parties involved in the conflict”.

 Israel wants to hurt Hezbollah but not drag the Middle East into all-out war, two Israeli officials said on Monday, according to Reuters. In a statement issued by his office on Monday after he visited Majdal Shams, Netanyahu said: “The state of Israel will not and cannot let this pass. Our response will come and it will be harsh.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday, emphasised the importance of preventing escalation of the conflict, the U.S. State Department said. Washington has also blamed Hezbollah for the rocket strike.

Germany also called on all parties to the Middle East conflict, in particular Iran, to prevent an escalation.

The UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon said it had intensified contacts with Israel and Lebanese authorities to dial down tensions. “Nobody wants to start a wider conflict, but a miscalculation could trigger one. There is still space for a diplomatic solution,” UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said, according to press agencies.