French ministers in Lebanon for talks month into Israel-Hezbollah truce

France's top diplomat and defence chief arrived on Monday in Lebanon, where a fragile truce since late November ended intense fighting between Israel and militant group Hezbollah.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu met with Lebanon's army chief Joseph Aoun, and on Tuesday are due to visit UN peacekeepers near the Israeli border.

A Lebanese army statement on social media said that Aoun and the visiting ministers discussed "ways to strengthen cooperation relations between the armies of the two countries and to continue support for the army in light of current circumstances".

Lecornu and Barrot are scheduled to meet on Tuesday with French soldiers deployed with UNIFIL in south Lebanon.