French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged that he “will not let Lebanon collapse and vanish,” as he warned against a new conflict with Israel.

In an interview with Lebanon’s French-language daily L'Orient-Le Jour, Macron also stressed that justice must be fulfilled in the Beirut port blast case.

“I will never surrender and I won’t let Lebanon collapse and vanish. Despite the opposing winds and difficulties, I will maintain this approach with firmness, realism and pragmatism,” Macron said.

As for the sea border demarcation file, the French president warned that Lebanon “will not bear a new conflict on its southern border” with Israel.

“It will be more lethal and destructive than (the war of) 2006,” he cautioned.

Such a conflict “will not be in the interest of any Lebanese side. Everyone must realize this. And in this regard, it is very important not to politicize the very difficult issue of border demarcation with Israel,” Macron added.

Source: Naharnet.com