PARIS/JERSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit out at France's President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday for saying that shipments of arms to Israel used in the conflict in Gaza should be stopped as part of a broader effort to find a political solution.

Shipments of arms used in the conflict in Gaza should be stopped as part of a broader effort to find a political solution, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday. France is not a major weapons provider for Israel,

The French leader’s comments drew the condemnation of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and reflected the growing international concern over Israel’s expanding conflicts in the region.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. A worker cleans the floor at an exhibition by Israeli graffiti artist Benzi Brofman that displays portraits of the victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, in Jerusalem, Sunday, Sept.29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) Women walk past graffiti calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip for nearly a year, in the Carmel market Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) People walk next to the market stand belonging to Elkana Bohbot, who was kidnapped from the Nova festival and has not been released from Gaza in the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sept. 27, 2024.(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) People listen to Israeli singer Yoni Bloch, who has written new songs about the current war, in concert at a record store in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) An off-duty Israeli soldier carrying her M-16 rifle walks down the street in Tel Aviv Israel, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) Young people chat in the rear of a car in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) A man stands at the entrance to his empty souvenir shop in the Carmel market in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) People travel by light rail in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) A soldier and a woman wait at a bus stop next to a bomb shelter in the town of Sderot, southern Israel, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) More From AP News

Israel placed its forces on alert Saturday ahead of the anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack, after a military official said the country is preparing its retaliation for Iran's missile

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Saturday it is on alert for any new potential security threats in the Middle East ahead of the first anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel by militant group Hamas,