Iran warns of serious consequences for any Israeli hit on Lebanon

DUBAI (Reuters) - Any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon will have serious consequences for Israel, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a phone call with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Iran's state media reported on Monday.

Israeli authorities blamed Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah for a rocket attack that hit a football ground in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, killing 12 children and teenagers, and vowed to inflict a heavy response. Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the strike.

"Any possible Israeli attack on Lebanon will have serious consequences for Israel," Pezeshkian was quoted by Iranian state media as saying.

"We are willing to improve our relations with France on the basis of mutual trust," Pezeshkian added in his conversation with Macron.

Macron spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, the French presidency said, as Paris seeks to prevent a broader escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.

The presidency said Macron had reminded Netanyahu that France was fully committed to doing "everything to avoid a new escalation in the region by passing messages to all parties involved in the conflict".

(Reporting by Elwely Elwelly; editing by Mark Heinrich)