Stressing that Israel had the right to defend itself, Emmanuel Macron assured that France “could participate in its protection” and reiterated his willingness to recognize a Palestinian state in the near future.

He announced that a conference on the ‘two-state solution” co-organized by France with Saudi Arabia, scheduled to take place next week in New York, has been postponed.

French President Emmanuel Macron declared that Iran bore a heavy responsibility for the destabilisation of the Middle East and that it had pushed ahead with an unjustified nuclear programm, while also urging restraint after Israel’s attacks on Iranian military and nuclear targets in  Iran.

After a day of talks with regional and international leaders following Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets, notably its nuclear sites, Macron said Tehran was close to a “critical point” in acquiring a nuclear weapon.

“Iran is continuing to enrich uranium without any civilian justification and to levels that are very close to what is needed for a nuclear device,” Macron said during a press conference on Friday.

“The current situation has a risk of uncontrolled escalation,” he said, adding that Iran’s activities threatened Europe.

Stressing that Israel had the right to defend itself, the President assured that France “could participate in its protection”, and reiterated his willingness to recognize a Palestinian state in the near future.

A conference co-organized by France with with Saudi Arabia in New York, scheduled for next week in New York to discuss the ‘’two-state solution’’, has been postponed.

The French President also announced that it had been decided to reinforce the ‘’Operation Sentinelle’’ across the country to “deal with all potential threats”, and that military forces were on high alert to ensure the safety of French nationals, troops and embassies in the Middle East. He asked French citizens not to travel to the region.

Operation Sentinelle was created in the wake of the January 2015 terrorist attacks in France. “Its aim is to protect French citizens from the dangers of everyday life,” states the Ministry of Defense website.

The plan mobilizes nearly 7,000 soldiers from the armed forces on a daily basis, in particular to secure places of worship and sensitive sites as a priority.’’