In a pre-trip telephone call, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to seek to “de-escalate tensions in the West Bank and to avoid escalation in Lebanon and Iran,” AFP quotes the State Department as saying.

In a post, Colonna said the two countries’ common objectives were “preserving freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, preventing an escalation in the Middle East and ensuring humanitarian access for civilian population” in Gaza.