Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris on Thursday to discuss regional developments amid increasing threats to global stability.
The two held a “productive meeting” which included issues concerning Lebanon, Syria, Hamas and the remaining hostages in Gaza’s tunnels, according to a statement Sa’ar released on X.
In addition, Sa’ar and Barrot discussed Iran, agreeing it was the “greatest threat to regional and global stability,” and that the two countries were aligned in their goal to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
“Iran is a dangerous state with an extremist regime that works intensively against regional stability, exporting the Islamist revolution, and spreading terrorism in the region,” according to Sa’ar’s statement. “The most extremist regime in the world shouldn’t possess the most dangerous weapon in the world. The objective of preventing Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon is a common objective of France and Israel.”
Israel and France have a longstanding friendship, back to our State's early days. Thank you FM @jnbarrot for your hospitality. We held a good and productive meeting in Paris about Lebanon, Syria, Hamas and our hostages. We also discussed Iran,the greatest threat to regional and… pic.twitter.com/BQSU0zrP3h
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) April 3, 2025
Regarding Hamas, Sa’ar told Barrot that Israel “would not give up” on any of the 59 of its citizens—both alive and dead—who remain in Gazan captivity. He emphasized that Israel would not agree to a return to the pre-Oct. 7, 2023 reality, stating: “We are ready to end the war tomorrow, and the way is very simple: hostages back, Hamas out!”
Concerning Lebanon, Sa’ar maintained that a return to the pre-Oct. 7 situation was also not in Israel’s interests, calling for “Lebanon’s release from Iranian occupation.” He affirmed Israel would not permit “Hezbollah to recover and rearm,” expressing the need for Israel to safeguard its security and that of its citizens.
Sa’ar reaffirmed that Israel’s friendship with France dates back decades, though the relationship is subject to periodic disputes. He said he invited Barrot to visit Israel and anticipated his counterpart would do so shortly.
On Wednesday, Barrot warned that a military confrontation with Iran “would seem to be almost inevitable” unless world powers reach a new nuclear agreement with Tehran soon.
“The window of opportunity is narrow. We only have a few months until the expiration of this [2015] accord. In case of failure, a military confrontation would seem to be almost inevitable,” Barrot told lawmakers.
Relations between Israel and France have been somewhat strained recently; French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Israeli Air Force strikes in Beirut last week as “unjust,” failing to mention that they were a response to renewed cross-border rocket fire.
At a press conference with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Macron said he would speak to U.S. President Donald Trump about the issue, while accusing Israel of “playing into Hezbollah’s hands.”
“No activity justifies such strikes,” added Macron, calling to respect the ceasefire, which he said “today was unilaterally not respected by Israel.”
In October 2024, Macron halted “security exports” to Israel as it ramped up its war against the Hamas terrorist organization.
Macron’s stance drew pushback from U.S. lawmakers, with a bipartisan group of 18 legislators from the House of Representatives sending him a letter calling on him to rescind his decision.