Paris protesters demand end to Israeli strikes on Lebanon

Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets of Paris to call for an end to Israeli air strikes in Lebanon. 

The rallies come as at least 24 people were killed and 29 others injured in strikes on two adjacent buildings in the southern city of Sidon.

“We have just one objective, to show the unity of the Lebanese people,” said Hassan Daher, a spokesperson for the groups organising the protest.

“An image that shows all the Lebanese, from all over Lebanon, from different political currents, supporting Lebanon, the refugees, the victims, supporting and defending our country.”

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah confirmed Nabil Kaouk, the deputy head of the Central Council, was killed on Saturday, making him the seventh senior Hezbollah leader assassinated in Israeli strikes in a little over a week.

That announcement comes after the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in a strike on a southern Beirut suburb on Friday evening.

Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged almost daily fire since the war in Gaza started in October, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.

Israel has ramped up its aerial assault on Lebanon with more than 700 people killed in the last week alone.

On Saturday Israel moved troops close to its northern border, raising fears of an imminent ground offensive into the country.

France has been a key supporter of Israel, defending its right to self-defence for years.

An arms export report presented to parliament by the Defence Ministry in July 2023 showed that France had issued 767 export licenses to Israel since 2015.

France sells an average of €20 million worth of military equipment to Israel each year.

In April, 11 NGOs in Paris, including Amnesty International, filed a court case to stop France’s arms sales to Israel, arguing that civilians in Gaza were targeted.

The court rejected that request in May.