French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that Israel must accelerate its withdrawal from south Lebanon to achieve a full pullout,

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

French President Emmanuel Macron and UN chief António Guterres have called on the Israeli military to withdraw from south Lebanon, during separate visits to the country. The visits are a show of support for Lebanon after its parliament recently elected a new president and prime minister-designate,

This will pause the fighting after 15 months of war and see the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants in the Gaza Strip and hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Major airlines are planning to reinstate flights to the Middle East following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Over the last 15 months of conflict, several Western carriers pulled out of flights to Israel, Jordan and Lebanon as missile attacks closed skies over Iraq and Iran in unpredictable airspace.

After more than a year of violence that has left tens of thousands dead and pushed the Middle East toward broader regional war, negotiators say an end is in sight