French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday called on Israeli Prime Minister to "withdraw his forces still present in Lebanon", his office said in a readout of a phone call between the two leaders.
"The President of the Republic stressed to the Prime Minister the importance of ensuring that nothing compromises the efforts of the new Lebanese authorities to restore the authority of the state throughout the territory of their country," the Elysee Palace said.
The Élysée did not explicitly mention the violence in which 15 people were killed on Sunday in southern Lebanon after the Israeli army opened fire, according to the Lebanese authorities.
Under the agreement that put an end to two months of open warfare between Israel and Hezbollah on November 27, the Israeli army should have completed its withdrawal this Sunday, January 26.
However, Israel claimed on Friday that Lebanon had not “fully” respected its commitments and specified that its withdrawal would continue beyond the deadline.
“France will take all necessary steps, within the ceasefire supervision mechanism, in liaison with the United States and Lebanon, to ensure that Lebanon regains its full sovereignty and that Israel's security is guaranteed,” said Emmanuel Macron in his conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, according to the Élysee Palace.
With AFP
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