France, April 8 -- The defence council brought together ministers and senior officials to discuss "the situation in Iran and the Middle East," the Elysee said. The meeting also addressed the return of two French nationals, Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, freed by Iran.

The ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, comes on the 40th day of the war and is meant to halt fighting for two weeks while negotiations take place. It also includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, whose disruption to oil shipments drove up global energy prices.

However Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, where operations against Hezbollah continued on Wednesday.

Macron said the ceasefire must be fully respected "in th...