France’s president began a visit to Lebanon Friday, where he will meet the crisis-hit country’s newly elected leaders, as the nation attempts to recover from the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.

The French president is scheduled to meet prime ministerial nominee Nouf Salam and newly elected President Joseph Aoun.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called for efforts to bolster the fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement during his visit to Beirut. Speaking in the Lebanese capital,

BEIRUT (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Lebanon on Friday to help speed up the formation of a government that can quickly implement reforms and open the door to reconstruction following last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Emmanuel Macron will visit Lebanon to help form a new government and implement reforms post-2020 political deadlock. Renewed international engagement, including support from France, aims to boost Lebanon's sovereignty and economy.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said Saturday a "more hopeful" future awaits Lebanon after meeting its new leaders in a two-day visit ahead of a deadline for implementing a fragile Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire.

President Emmanuel Macron and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot arrived in Beirut on Friday for a one-day official visit. Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the French ambassador welcomed them at the airport.

Since a truce brokered by France and the United States in November between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, Paris has played a key role in helping break Lebanon’s political deadlock, along with its American and Saudi counterparts, that has now led to a new president and prime minister.

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 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.

Lebanon's new president said on Saturday that Israel must withdraw from his country's south by the January 26 deadline set to fully implement an Israel-Hizbollabh ceasefire agreed last year. His remarks follow a speech by Hizbollabh leader Naim Qassem who accused Israel of hundreds of ceasefire violations,