French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel to accelerate the withdrawal of its troops from Lebanon, citing the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Report informs via Reuters.
"We need a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army," said Macron, speaking alongside Lebanon's new president Joseph Aoun, who was the commander of the Lebanese armed forces before his election to the presidency.
He also noted the need to increase the strength of Lebanon's armed forces.
"We support [...] increasing the power of the Lebanese armed forces and their deployment in the south of the country. The Lebanese armed forces are the pillar of Lebanon's sovereignty," he said.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, which came into effect on November 27 with US and French mediation, requires Israeli forces to withdraw from Southern Lebanon within 60 days after signing, while Hezbollah must withdraw all its fighters and weapons from the south of the country.