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.

France's President Emmanuel Macron was in Lebanon on Friday, where he was due to meet his newly-elected counterpart and offer support to leaders seeking to open a new chapter in their country's turbulent history.

The Israeli military also moved into dozens of new positions across southern Lebanon in the first 40 days of the ceasefire.

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

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

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.

France "will continue to be at the side of Lebanon and its people," Macron told Aoun in a telephone call, the French presidency said in a statement. Macron said he would go to Lebanon "very soon". "Congratulations to President Joseph Aoun on this crucial ...

During a press conference at Baabda Palace, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun conveyed a hopeful message to French President Emmanuel Macron. "I hope you will testify to the entire world that the Lebanese people's trust in their country and state has been restored and that the world's confidence in Lebanon must fully return because the true and genuine Lebanon has revived,

New developments following the election of Western-backed Joseph Aoun as president perhaps offer hope for generating political momentum and restoring the international community's confidence in Lebanon.

The new president, Joseph Aoun, is a favorite of America, France, and Saudi Arabia. He even gets a cautious endorsement from Israel amid skepticism

French leader Emmanuel Macron is slated to visit Lebanon on Friday, the Lebanese presidency said, in the second such trip by a head of state since the crisis-hit country elected a president last week.

French President Emmanuel Macron met Friday with Lebanon’s newly elected President Joseph Aoun and vowed to support the small nation as it tries to recover from a historic economic crisis and the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.