France urged an international security arrangement in southern Lebanon as U.N. peacekeepers prepare to end regular operations, a transition Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says risks direct contact between Lebanese and Israeli troops.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 2790 directs the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to cease operations and begin drawing down and withdrawing on Dec. 31, 2026. The withdrawal must take place within one year. The resolution allows limited duties during that period, so the operational cutoff does not require every peacekeeper to leave that day.
In a joint statement after an Oct. 17-18 visit, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot and Minister Delegate attached to the Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans Alice Rufo said a new framework should support the Lebanese Armed Forces’ redeployment and avert a security gap. France said it was ready to contribute. The ministers also linked French assistance to a stronger Lebanese military and the state’s exclusive control of weapons.
Aoun wants UNIFIL’s mandate extended or its security duties maintained during the 2027 withdrawal, his office said. He would welcome another international presence in the south if neither option is available. Without one, his office said, Lebanese troops could come into direct contact with Israeli forces in areas it described as occupied.
UNIFIL was created in 1978. Under Security Council Resolution 1701, it helps monitor the cessation of hostilities and assists Lebanese forces in the south.
France also pointed to a European Union mission as part of a wider security arrangement. The Council of the European Union established the European Union Support Mission in Lebanon (EUSM Lebanon) on Oct. 12 with an initial three-year mandate to advise and train Lebanese armed and internal security forces. The mission still needs a separate launch decision after operational planning; the council has set no launch date.
Aoun’s concerns follow his Oct. 15 appeal to Washington over Israeli attacks. His office said he told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Lebanese security forces were confiscating weapons and ammunition and asked Rubio to press Israel to stop attacks in southern Lebanon.
A Lebanese military delegation was scheduled to attend talks in Tampa, Florida, on Oct. 20 to press for an end to Israeli escalation, Aoun’s office said.
