PARIS: France said on Thursday that it had warned Iran against "any escalation or widening" of the Middle East conflict, notably in Lebanon.

Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told her Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, "with firmness" that Tehran had a "heavy responsibility" in the matter, according to a foreign ministry statement.

The October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel needed to be condemned "by everybody with the greatest firmness", Colonna told Amir-Abdollahian during their meeting in Geneva Thursday.

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"There can be no ambiguity on this topic," she said.

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah has been exchanging fire daily with Israeli forces in the border area since the Israel-Hamas war started.

Colonna also said that "all measures" had to be taken to protect civilians in the war, and that access needed to be guaranteed for humanitarian aid.