France’s Macron tells Iran external interference in Lebanon should cease

French President Emmanuel Macron told Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday that all concerned parties should refrain from external interference in Lebanon, the Elysee office said.

Macron also told Rouhani that parties should support the formation of a new government in Lebanon, it said.

An Iranian official claimed last week that Macron’s statements during his visit to Lebanon in the wake of the deadly Beirut explosion are an “interference” in Lebanese internal affairs.

“Macron’s speech is an interference in Lebanese internal affairs, increasing the suffering of Lebanon’s people. Macron must apologize to the Lebanese nation,” said Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council, a powerful state body and a former the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).

“Instead of focusing all of his attention on finding out what led to the explosion, Macron is pushing for political change and an explosion of the stability in Lebanon,” Rezaei added.

Macron arrived in Lebanon on Thursday and visited sites of the wreckage caused by the blast where he was swarmed by Lebanese people asking for his help and demanding that whatever aid France sends not be given to the government for fear of it being stolen by corrupt officials.

A Lebanese youth hugs French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to the Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, which has suffered extensive damage due to a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital, on August 6, 2020. (AFP)

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