UN peacekeeping chief urges talks on Lebanon mission before mandate ends
Jean-Pierre Lacroix says the Security Council should decide soon what follows UNIFIL’s current mandate, as Lebanon seeks to keep peacekeepers in the south.
UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix urged the Security Council on Wednesday, October 14, to begin talks soon on the future of its mission in southern Lebanon. Lebanon wants the force to stay beyond its December 31, 2026 mandate expiry, and an early decision would help it plan for either a withdrawal or a continued UN presence.
Lacroix told Reuters that proposals from UN Secretary-General António Guterres for a continued uniformed UN presence in Lebanon were already before the Council, but had seen no movement. He expected negotiations to begin shortly and in earnest. The Council had not decided what arrangement would follow the current mandate when he spoke.
Why Lebanon wants UNIFIL to stay
The Security Council ordered the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, last year to begin withdrawing at the end of 2026. Lebanon has pressed for an extension, citing the mission’s work monitoring hostilities and helping deliver aid to villages in Israeli-occupied areas. The Hindu reported that President Joseph Aoun told Lacroix Lebanon wanted the force to remain and warned that its withdrawal would leave a security vacuum.
In July, 86 Lebanese lawmakers signed a letter to the Security Council calling for UNIFIL troops to remain with an expanded mandate, The Hindu reported. After meetings with Lebanese officials and countries contributing troops, Lacroix said the authorities’ position, including their request for a temporary extension, had to be heard and considered, according to The Hindu.
UNIFIL has operated in southern Lebanon since 1978. It now has about 7,500 peacekeepers at roughly 50 positions, Reuters reported. The mission also operates a hotline between the Lebanese and Israeli militaries to ease tensions. Lacroix described a continuing need for a third party to help prevent incidents from escalating, according to Reuters.
How UNIFIL positions could be handed over
If no new UN force is agreed, UNIFIL’s positions would be expected to pass to the Lebanese army, Reuters reported. Most of those positions lie in territory then occupied by Israeli forces, leaving the feasibility of a handover unclear. Lacroix said the mission should avoid leaving positions prematurely before it is clear what will follow.
The Hindu reported that France and Italy wanted to establish a multinational coalition to succeed UNIFIL. That proposal is one possible route alongside Lebanon’s request for an extension and Guterres’s proposals for a continued uniformed UN presence. Any change to the mission’s future depends on Security Council negotiations that Lacroix said should begin soon.
The Hindu reported that violence had decreased after a US-Iran understanding in June and a US-sponsored Lebanon-Israel framework agreed later that month. Implementation of the framework had largely stalled, according to its report. That security setting forms the backdrop to Lebanon’s request to retain peacekeepers and Lacroix’s concern about avoiding a premature departure from UNIFIL positions.
Sources and context
- UN peacekeeping chief says talks on future of Lebanon mission must begin soonThe Straits Times (Reuters)
- UN says wants Lebanon stability as end of peacekeepers’ mandate loomsThe Hindu (AFP)
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