UN Says Wants Lebanon Stability as End of Peacekeepers’ Mandate Looms
Lacroix says a decision is needed soon as Lebanon warns the force’s departure could create a security vacuum and disrupt border monitoring.
- On Wednesday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with UN peace operations chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix in Beirut, urging a one-year extension of the UNIFIL mandate and warning that withdrawal "will create a vacuum that will have negative repercussions on the security situation in the region."
- Under Security Council Resolution 2790, approved in August 2025, the peacekeeping mission's mandate expires on December 31, 2026, following pressure from the United States to terminate the mission.
- Aoun emphasized that Israeli forces continue to occupy a self-declared "security zone" around 10 kilometres inside Lebanon, while 86 Lebanese lawmakers signed a letter in July requesting an expanded mandate for the approximately 7,500 personnel.
- After the meeting, Lacroix acknowledged Lebanon's request, stating "the positions of the Lebanese authorities must be heard and taken into consideration," while reaffirming the UN's commitment to supporting peace and stability in Lebanon.
- France and Italy are exploring a potential multinational coalition to succeed UNIFIL, while visiting EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has expressed support for extending the mandate alongside a new European Union training mission.
52 Articles
52 Articles
Deutsche Welle
INTELLINEWSLebanon faces uncertainty as UNIFIL mandate nears end
As UN peacekeeping forces prepare to withdraw from Lebanon, Israel remains present and Hezbollah is still armed. A new EU support mission aims to strengthen Lebanon's army, but will not replace UN peacekeepers.
A UN force helped sustain south Lebanon for decades. What happens when it leaves?
IBL AL-SAQI, Oct 19 — From his shop in south Lebanon near the Israeli border, Mark Diab says life in his village will be turned upside down when a decades-long United Nations peacekeeping force pulls out next year.“Unifil isn’t just business, to us it’s family,” said Diab, 59, whose sister is among residents of Ibl al-Saqi who have married peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon over the years. She now lives in Spain.“We’re basically o…
'It's family': Lebanese villagers dread looming UN peacekeeper pullout
"UNIFIL isn't just business, to us it's family," said Diab, 59, whose sister is among residents of Ibl al-Saqi who have married peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon over the years. She now lives in Spain. "We're basically open because of the UN. We started when I was young," Diab said from his shop, just down the road from a UNIFIL base, selling clothes along with other items including alcohol and headphones. The force's withdrawal …
Lebanon's President, Joseph Awn, confirmed yesterday's commitment to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), warning that its withdrawal would lead to a security vacuum in the south and the loss of any international control over Israel's aggression. The Lebanese presidency, in a statement, said that during a meeting with the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean Pierre Lacroix, the circumstances that had…
LancasterOnline
Independent EspañolBEIRUT (AP) — The head of United Nations peacekeeping operations said on Wednesday that important questions about plans for southern Lebanon remain unresolved, as the exit of Lebanon is approaching.
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