POOL/AFP VIA GETTYIMAGES)' title=' US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is welcomed by French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot prior to their meeting at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris, on January 8, 2025. (photo credit: LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP VIA GETTYIMAGES)' />
Challenges remain, Blinken said, but so far, the mechanism put forth by France and the US is functioning well, as more than one-third of Israeli forces have withdrawn from Lebanon.