ALBAWABA- French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beirut on Friday for a 12-hour visit, marking a significant step in supporting Lebanon’s newly ele

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel on Friday to accelerate its troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon, as a deadline nears for the pullout under the terms of a ceasefire that ended the war with Hezbollah last year.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that Israel must accelerate its withdrawal from south Lebanon to achieve a full pullout,

Macron also spoke to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ahead of the visit. Paris has sought to get Riyadh to re-engage in Lebanon for months and the arrival of Joseph Aoun to the presidency and Nawaf Salam as prime minister has helped that process.

French President Emmanuel Macron calls for 'accelerating' implementation of cease-fire between Israel, Hezbollah during his visit to Beirut - Anadolu Ajansı

The French president made the announcement as he visited Beirut in a show of support for Lebanon's new leaders.

French leader Emmanuel macron arrived in Beirut on Friday for his first visit to Lebanon since Joseph Aoun was elected president, ending a two-year presidential vacuum. Macron's plane landed at Rafic Hariri International Airport at 7 am (0500GMT),

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for Israel to accelerate its troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon, in line with a ceasefire agreement made last year. During his visit to Beirut, he supported strengthening Lebanon's military and assured France’s backing for their efforts in southern territories.

The rhetoric of Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief on Saturday reaffirmed the party's commitment to its weapons and contradicted the positive atmospheres prevailing in the country after the election of General Jospeh Aoun as President,

The United States has announced it would donate more than $117 million in security assistance for Lebanon's armed forces, as the crisis-hit country seeks to implement a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Lebanese presidency noted that discussions focused on developments. Aoun reiterated Lebanon’s insistence on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from its occupied territories in the south, as stipulated in the agreement reached Nov. 27.