Macron announces aid conference to rebuild Lebanon

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called for accelerated implementation of a November ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah in south Lebanon.

"There have been results... but they must be accelerated and long-lasting. There needs to be complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the Lebanese army must hold total monopoly of any weapons" in south Lebanon, he said at a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun, ahead of a January 26 deadline for the truce implementation.

Macron also announced that Paris would in the coming weeks host an international conference "for the reconstruction of Lebanon".

"The international community must prepare for massive support to the reconstruction of infrastructure," he said.