France seeks security arrangements for southern Lebanon after UNIFIL
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned against a security vacuum as Lebanon weighs how to maintain an international presence when the UN mission ends in 2026.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot pressed for new security arrangements in southern Lebanon during talks in Beirut on 18 October 2026, warning of a security vacuum when the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL ends at the close of the year. Lebanon wants an international presence to remain, but the form it would take has not been settled, The National and Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
Barrot called for a new international framework to support Lebanese security forces after UNIFIL’s departure, according to The National. He visited Beirut with Alice Rufo, France’s minister delegate for the armed forces, and said a security vacuum must not follow a mission that has operated for nearly five decades.
Lebanon seeks an international presence in the south
Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Barrot and Rufo met Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Sunday, after meeting President Joseph Aoun on Saturday. Aoun reiterated Lebanon’s preference for extending UNIFIL but said it would consider alternatives that preserve an international presence in the south. He warned against leaving the Lebanese Army in direct confrontation with Israeli forces in occupied areas.
Salam said a future international presence should monitor developments, report violations and maintain communication under a new Security Council mandate, according to Asharq Al-Awsat. The talks also covered reconstruction in the south, including restoring essential services and strengthening state institutions so residents could remain in their communities.
The National reported that Israel’s military occupies about 65 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, where it declared a border security zone after fighting with Hezbollah broke out in early March. The French ministers also stressed support for the underfunded Lebanese Armed Forces as it seeks to bring weapons under state control, a task Hezbollah has resisted.
What could follow UNIFIL’s mandate
A Security Council decision in August 2025 set UNIFIL’s mandate to end by the close of 2026, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. France and Italy said in June that they intended to work toward a multinational successor force. Barrot said Paris was ready to help shape future arrangements, but the proposed international presence and its support have yet to be defined, according to The National.
The National reported that the European Union announced a separate support mission for Lebanon’s armed forces the previous week, initially planned for three years. It is intended to strengthen the armed forces and Internal Security Forces and support maritime security. EU leaders said the mission was not designed to replace UNIFIL.
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Sources and context
- French Foreign Minister warns post-Unifil security vacuum in south Lebanon must be avoidedThe National
- French Foreign Minister Discusses Post-UNIFIL Arrangements in BeirutAsharq Al-Awsat
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.