Report: Paris rules out war on Lebanon prior to Netanyahu's speech

French officials have ruled out an Israeli war on Lebanon prior to the July 24 speech that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver at the U.S. Congress, a media report said.

Netanyahu “would not visit Washington while waging a second war during the U.S. electoral campaigning, especially that Washington has repeatedly warned the Israeli side against launching another war,” Annahar newspaper quoted the French officials as saying.

The French officials believe that Netanyahu “will deliver an escalatory speech at Congress against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran” and that he “might carry out a broad operation in Lebanon after his visit to Washington,” the daily added.

“As long as Hezbollah is linking Lebanon to the Israeli war in Gaza, it is offering Netanyahu the excuse to expand the war to Lebanon,” the French officials said.

“Netanyahu might not settle for imposing a preventative Israeli military belt in the Lebanese south but might expand the war to entire Lebanon and this is very alarming,” the officials added.