Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam said on Friday the formation of a new government would not be delayed, indicating a very positive atmosphere in discussions over its composition.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati hosted U.N. Friday evening at his residence in Beirut. The meeting was attended by U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix,

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.

Following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Beirut, Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati highlighted discussions on the country's current challenges and the need for comprehensive international support.

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.

The visit by Prime Minister Najib Mikati was the first official trip by the Lebanese leader to meet with the new government of Syria.

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

Geopolitical shifts in the troubled Middle East, highlighted by the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iran's dwindling influence, present a rare opportunity for Lebanon to regain control of its own fate.

Najib Mikati’s visit, the first in 15 years, comes amid pressure in Lebanon to release Islamists imprisoned during the civil war and just after the election of President Joseph Aoun.

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati will meet Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Saturday, two Lebanese sources said, becoming the first head of government to visit Syria's capital since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

New Lebanese President Joseph Aoun began parliamentary consultations Monday to designate a prime minister tasked with forming a government desperately needed to tackle major challenges in the crisis-hit country.

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, speaks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, center, and Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, as he signs a guest book at the presidential palace in