Macron, who has close contacts with leaders within Lebanon's government, said the country's government is positive about starting "direct talks" with Israel.
“France is ready to facilitate these talks by holding them in Paris,” Macron wrote on X.
But the French Foreign Ministry denied media reports that a French peace plan was being prepared.
"France has supported the Lebanese authorities' openness to direct talks with Israel," the ministry wrote in a statement, adding that "it is for the parties, and only them, to determine the agenda for a meeting."
Silence from the parties
A source in Beirut said that negotiations may take place "and preparations to appoint a delegation are underway, but neither the time nor the place have been decided."
Israel, one of the parties to the war, has not commented on the information.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement, the other party, is not directly involved in discussions about possible talks. Hezbollah said late Saturday that “direct confrontations” with Israeli forces were taking place in southern Lebanon.
But UN Secretary-General António Guterres, continuing his visit to the war-torn country on Saturday, also emphasized that "diplomatic paths" still exist to reach a solution to the conflict.
Increased death toll
"We are doing everything we can to achieve an immediate de-escalation and cessation of hostilities," Guterres told reporters in Beirut, referring to both existing resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and the UN Charter.
He also noted that the UN has special envoys and institutions that can participate in a process.
On Friday, the UN chief appealed for international financial support, initially estimated at around three billion kronor in emergency aid, to help, among other things, the approximately 800,000 Lebanese who have fled their homes.
Lebanon's health ministry said on Saturday that at least 826 people have been killed since the attacks on the country began on March 2. Of those, 106 are children, the ministry said, which also reported that 31 health workers were among the dead. The number of injured exceeds 2,000.
