BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday renewed his call for a truce and the opening of negotiations with Israel to stop the war between it and Hezbollah, during a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

Lebanon was brought into the regional war on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets toward Israel in response to the killing of its ally Iran's supreme leader in Israeli-US attacks.

Israel responded with heavy airstrikes across various regions and ground incursions, which combined have left more than a thousand people dead.

Aoun stressed "the necessity of a ceasefire, and to provide the necessary guarantees for its success by the parties concerned," according to a statement issued by the presidency.

The president said "the negotiating initiative he announced is still on the table, but the continued military escalation is hindering its launch", the statement added.

It said that Aoun emphasised "what is important is to stop the escalation" between Hezbollah and Israel.

On March 9, Aoun proposed a four-point initiative that included "establishing a full truce" with Israel, providing logistical support to the army in order to "disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its depots and warehouses," and that Lebanon and Israel "begin direct negotiations under international auspices".

Barrot is on a short visit to Lebanon that "reflects France's support and solidarity with the Lebanese people, who have been dragged into a war they did not choose," the French Foreign Ministry said.

In addition to Aoun, Barrot met with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and speaker of parliament Nabih Berri.

Barrot also visited a school near Beirut that had been turned into a shelter for people displaced by the war.

According to a French Foreign Ministry statement, Barrot was scheduled to consult with the three leaders "on the situation in Lebanon and ways to de-escalate".

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on Friday with the Lebanese president, prime minister and parliament speaker, and the next day called on Israel to agree to direct talks with the Lebanese government.

Macron expressed France's readiness to facilitate the talks by hosting them in Paris.