Paris, Aug 13: French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Israel’s plan to expand its operations and take control of Gaza City, calling it “a disaster waiting to happen” and proposed an international coalition under a United Nations mandate to stabilise Gaza, France 24 reported.

“This war must end now with a permanent ceasefire,” Macron said in a statement, adding Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City was “a disaster of unprecedented gravity and a headlong rush into permanent war,” according to France 24.

Last week, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, expanding its military operations in the shattered Palestinian territory, which has drawn strong criticism both domestically and internationally, France 24 stated.

“The Israeli cabinet’s announcement of an expansion of its operations in Gaza City and the Mawasi camps and for a re-occupation heralds a disaster of unprecedented gravity waiting to happen and of a drift towards a never-ending war,” Macron said.

“Israeli hostages and the people of Gaza will continue to be the primary victims of this strategy,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, addressing international criticism during a press conference on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel is “applying force judiciously.”

“Israel has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas,” Netanyahu stated. “We have about 70 to 75 percent of Gaza under Israeli control, military control, but we have two remaining strongholds, OK? These are Gaza City and the central camps in Al Mawasi,” France 24 reported.

In his statement, Macron emphasised the importance of establishing a UN-mandated stabilisation mission to secure the Gaza Strip.

“The Security Council must now work to establish this mission and give it a mandate,” he said. “I have asked my teams to work on this without delay with our partners.”

By proposing a UN-mandated mission in Gaza, Macron is aiming to build on the momentum created by his recognition of a Palestinian state last month, which triggered a series of recognitions by other countries, including Britain and Canada, France 24 reported.

Macron said the UN mission would be tasked with securing the Gaza Strip, protecting civilians, and working in support of unspecified Palestinian governance.

Sanaa, Aug 13: Yemen’s Houthi group said that it launched four drone attacks targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa, Negev, Eilat, and Be’er Sheva.

Using six drones, the attacks “successfully achieved their objectives,” the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV on Tuesday.

Sarea said the attacks were carried out in response to Israel’s “implementation of its plan to eliminate the Palestinian cause through genocide, starvation, and displacement.”

He also vowed continued attacks against Israel until “aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and the blockade is lifted.”

There were no immediate comments from Israel regarding the group’s alleged attacks, Xinhua news agency reported.

Houthi forces have fired dozens of missiles and drones toward Israel since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, citing solidarity with the Palestinians.

Most of the projectiles have been intercepted or have missed their targets. In response, Israel has carried out a series of strikes on ports and other infrastructure in Yemen.

Earlier on Saturday, Yemeni government forces repelled a large-scale offensive by the Houthi group in southern Yemen’s Dhalea province and killed three Houthi militants during the confrontation, a military official told Xinhua.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that the Houthis used heavy artillery in an attempt to break through government defensive lines in the Bab Ghalaq area in northern Dhalea, triggering intense fighting between the group and government forces.

The fighting lasted for about an hour before the Houthis were forced to withdraw in disarray toward their positions, whereas the government forces maintained their defensive positions, said the official.