Lebanon urges UN-backed force after peacekeepers leave

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told United Nations chief Antonio Guterres that Lebanon needs a UN-sponsored international force to remain in the country's south after the current UN peacekeeping mandate expires.

Salam met Guterres at UN headquarters in New York on Monday. His office said he stressed the importance of maintaining an international presence under the UN umbrella in southern Lebanon after the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, leaves.

Salam said that presence should continue monitoring, reporting and liaison work, help preserve stability and support the extension of Lebanese state authority over all its territory, according to the statement.

UNIFIL has acted as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel since 1978 and currently has about 7,500 peacekeepers from 46 countries. Under US pressure, the UN Security Council voted last year to halt the force's mandate at the end of 2026.

UNIFIL's planned departure comes as Israel maintains troops in a self-declared security zone about 10 kilometres deep inside southern Lebanon along the border.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told AFP last week that Lebanon wanted a new force, European or otherwise, to prevent a security vacuum after the peacekeepers depart, although he said extending UNIFIL's mandate remained the best option. The creation of a successor force was also discussed last week in Paris by Aoun, French President Emmanuel Macron and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

France and Italy have said they want to set up a multinational coalition to succeed UNIFIL. Guterres said in a June report that peacekeepers would be needed after UNIFIL's mission expires.

Salam also told Guterres that about 329,000 people remain displaced in Lebanon since the latest conflict erupted and urged support for the humanitarian response.