French President Emmanuel Macron held nothing back when discussing the urgency facing the Western world to defeat Hamas.
During a press conference Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Macron called for the international global coalition established to defeat the Islamic State to be expanded to go after Hamas terrorists, CNBC reported. The Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh, or ISIS, was established in 2014 and has 86 members, including France, the U.S. and the U.K.
“France is ready for the international coalition against Daesh, in which we are engaged for our operation in Iraq and Syria, to also fight against Hamas,” Macron said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Macron met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog where he discussed the danger Hamas poses to Israel and the rest of the world.
“Hamas is a terrorist group, where the very objective is the destruction of the Israeli state,” Macron said. “I propose to our international partners … that we can build a regional and international coalition to fight against the terrorist group that threatens all of us.”
Macron said that Hamas must be fought “without mercy, but not without rules,” adding that civilian casualties must be avoided. The French President’s strong comments against Hamas and in support of Israel come a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged world leaders to condemn Hamas.
“Enough is enough should have been the case with Hamas two weeks ago,” Blinken said during an interview on CBS “Face The Nation” on Sunday. “It would be good to hear the entire world speaking clearly and with one voice about the actions that Hamas took, about the slaughter of people, about the fact that that should be absolutely intolerable, unacceptable to anyone anywhere, any country, any people.”
The U.S. has increased its presence in the Middle East by deploying missile systems to the region and preparing troops for deployment as Israel continues to face threats from Hamas on its border with the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah on its border to the north with Lebanon. U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq have also faced attacks from Islamic terror groups in the days following Hamas’ assault on Israel.
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Sunday that “escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across the Middle East Region” have caused the U.S. military “to do what’s necessary to make sure that our troops are in a good position, and they’re protected, and that we have the ability to respond.”