France says looking into legal implications of Netanyahu ICC arrest warrant

Paris: France's reaction to the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be in line with the court's statutes, the foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday, but declined to say whether France would arrest the leader if he came to the country.

When asked during a news conference if France would arrest Netanyahu, Christophe Lemoine said it was a legally complicated question.

"It's a point that is legally complex so I'm not going to comment on it today," he said.

Judges at the ICC on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence chief Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri, commonly known as Deif, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.