French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called on Israel to refrain from sending forces to take control of an area in southern Lebanon, he said in remarks to Agence France-Presse on Tuesday, warning of the “serious humanitarian consequences” of such a move.

Barrot added: “We urge the Israeli authorities to refrain from carrying out ground operations of this kind, as they could have serious humanitarian consequences and further worsen the already deteriorating situation in the country.”

Jean-Noël Barrot (Nabil Ismail)

At the same time, Barrot welcomed Lebanon’s decision to expel the Iranian ambassador.

He said: “I would like to commend the statements and actions of the Lebanese government, which this morning made a courageous decision to expel the Iranian ambassador, as Hezbollah, by deciding to join the war in support of Iran, dragged the country into conflict after it had been slowly but steadily recovering from previous crises.”

In the context of the escalating tensions between Beirut and Tehran, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates summoned the Iranian chargé d’affaires in Lebanon, Toufic Samadi Khoshkho. He met with Secretary General Ambassador Abdul Sattar Issa, who informed him of the Lebanese state’s decision to withdraw approval for the accreditation of the appointed Iranian ambassador, Mohammad Reza Sheibani, declaring him persona non grata and ordering him to leave Lebanese territory no later than Sunday, March 29, 2026.