ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called Israel’s continued strikes on Syria as “bad practice,” adding that they will not guarantee “Israel's long-term security.”

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Wednesday where he was received by the French leader, marking his first European visit since assuming the Syrian presidency.

Macron’s remarks came during a joint presser with Sharaa following their meeting.

"As for bombings and incursions, I think it's bad practice. You don't ensure your country's security by violating the territorial integrity of your neighbours,” said the French president.

Israel has launched hundreds of strikes against Syria since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December.

On Friday, the Israeli military launched airstrikes near the Syrian presidential palace in Damascus, after Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened Syria with force should they continue targeting the country’s minority Druze community.

During the presser, Sharaa confirmed that Damascus is engaged in indirect talks with Israel “to calm the situation and try to contain the situation so it does not reach the point where it escapes the control of both sides.”

Macron also mentioned that he told Sharaa during their talks that the president “must do everything to assure the protection of all Syrians without exception” after “unacceptable” killings of the Alawite and Druze minorities in recent months.

The Damascus suburb of Sahnaya, with a substantial Druze and Christian population, was where clashes erupted last week between Druze fighters and loyalists of the Islamist government in Damascus.

The conflict has left over 100 people dead, most of whom belong to the Druze community, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

The deadly violence has drawn massive condemnation on a regional and international level.

In March, Assad loyalists killed a number of members of the Syrian security forces in an ambush, an incident which prompted a violent response from Damascus, with members of the Syrian defense ministry carrying out “public executions,” killing over 1,700 civilians along Syria’s western coast, predominantly Alawites, suspected of siding with the insurgents.