Paris, Sept. 17 (SANA)Lebanese PresidentJoseph Aounand French PresidentEmmanuel Macrondiscussed Thursday efforts to haltIsraeli attackson Lebanon and developments insouthern Lebanon, the Lebanese presidency said.

The talks at the Élysée Palace in Paris also covered political and economic issues and came ahead of a preparatory meeting for a conference to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces under the Aqaba Initiative launched by Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

The presidency said Aoun and Macron reviewed efforts to halt Israeli attacks in light of Lebanese-U.S.-Israeli negotiations and a framework agreement reached during the talks. They also discussed developments in southern Lebanon and arrangements for the period after the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ends.

The two leaders reviewed proposals being developed at the U.N. Security Council on the future of the international presence in southern Lebanon, with the aim of avoiding a vacuum after UNIFIL’s mandate expires, according to the statement.

Aoun stressed the importance of holding a conference on Lebanon’s reconstruction, an initiative Macron had proposed alongside the conference supporting the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces.

The two presidents also discussed economic cooperation, particularly in the energy sector, and the resumption of oil and gas exploration in Lebanon’s offshore blocks.

Aoun on Wednesday called on Arab and European countries and the United States to support the Lebanese army and help it carry out its responsibilities.

Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon have continued, including airstrikes, artillery shelling and incursions. Israeli warplanes carried out a series of strikes and detonations in the south on Wednesday evening, causing strong tremors in nearby villages, while the outskirts of several towns came under artillery shelling and heavy machine-gun fire.