Emmanuel Macron calls on the parties to honor their commitments “as quickly as possible”

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called on stakeholders in the ceasefire in Lebanon to honor their commitments “as soon as possible”while Lebanon accuses Israel of “procrastinate” in its withdrawal from the south of the country. Emmanuel Macron made this request during a telephone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Friday that the withdrawal of armed forces would continue beyond the deadline of January 26, or Sunday, provided for by the agreement.

“The President of the Republic recalled that the commitments made by the parties must be honored as quickly as possible, so that Lebanon recovers its sovereignty over the entire territory. The President of the Republic reiterated France's constant commitment in this regard.reported the Élysée. Emmanuel Macron also welcomed “the progress that has been made over the last two months, in particular thanks to the sustained involvement of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in the implementation of the conditions for achieving the ceasefire”.

The Lebanese presidency also reported on Saturday this telephone conversation between Joseph Aoun and Emmanuel Macron. The Lebanese president emphasized “the need to force Israel to respect the provisions of the agreement in order to preserve stability in the South”according to her. A ceasefire came into force on November 27 after two months of open war between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah, a movement supported by Iran. France had taken part, with the United States, in mediation efforts to achieve this truce.

The Lebanese army indicated on Saturday that it was ready to deploy in the south of the country. Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement, the Lebanese army must take a stand alongside United Nations peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) in the South, as the Israeli army withdraws over a period of 60 days. For its part, Hezbollah must withdraw its forces north of the Litani River, approximately 30 kilometers from the Lebanese-Israeli border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.