France throws weight behind Israel-Lebanon ceasefire

The French head of state told reporters on a visit to Montenegro: "We support the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel and everything that helps restore peace, combat terrorist activities, and fully establish Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"France is, of course, as we have always been, available to move forward along this path. A coordination mechanism has been put in place where the United States and France are working together," he added.

"If the ceasefire is serious, this is the mechanism that must be reactivated, so that we can follow up and verify its implementation."

Lebanon became a French mandate after World War I and France has taken a keen interest in its affairs since. France is one of the biggest contributors to the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL.

France did not take part in the US-mediated Washington talks between Israel and Lebanon that produced an accord allowing for a ceasefire conditional on Hezbollah halting its attacks on Israel.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah group was not part of the talks and its chief, Naim Qassem, has since rejected the deal.

Macron said that if a ceasefire could be started "we must then define the ways and means to restore Lebanese sovereignty and the return of the Lebanese armed forces to regain the monopoly of weapons" from Hezbollah.