BEIRUT — France has proposed that some troops from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), including French soldiers, be deployed in southern Lebanon to facilitate a "complete and definitive" Israeli withdrawal, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Thursday.

Speaking at a press conference following an international conference on Syria, Barrot noted that the cease-fire had been extended until Feb. 18, the deadline for Israel’s full withdrawal. However, Israel intends to maintain control over five strategic positions in southern Lebanon beyond that date, a move Beirut has rejected

"We have worked to formulate a proposal that can meet Israel’s security expectations as it had planned to stay longer,” Barrot said. “We proposed that certain UNIFIL contingents, including the French, could take over these observation points,” he added, noting that U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres supports the plan. “It is now up to us to convince the Israelis that this solution can provide for a complete and definitive withdrawal,” Barrot concluded.

Under the truce agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which took effect on Nov. 27, the Lebanese Army was to deploy in the South alongside U.N. peacekeepers, while Israeli forces were to withdraw over a 60-day period — later extended to Feb. 18. Hezbollah was also expected to dismantle its infrastructure south of the Litani River, following U.N. Resolution 1701, and withdraw to the north of the river within this timeframe.