Hezbollah issued a statement on Sunday condemning the “intentional insult” against Prophet Mohammed, expressing “categorical rejection of the official French stance encouraging these dangerous insults.”

Hezbollah expressed regret over disparaging tropes about Islam and the Prophet as well as the issue of Islamophobia in France. “What was published in France harms the sentiments of more than two billion Muslims, including the Islamic and Arab expat community that has been living for decades in Europe and France,” the statement read.

“All false claims about freedom of opinion and expression cannot justify the rejected insults against the Prophet of God and disparaging divine religions and beliefs,” it added, calling on France to “return to reason, wisdom and frank respect for religions and religious values” to “positively contribute to preventing the publication of materials that would provoke tension at the international level.”