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Lebanon is stepping up a political and diplomatic drive to maintain a UN presence in the south while rallying support for its army, as Beirut and Paris push to revisit the deadline to end UNIFIL\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n
Beirut is treating that issue separately from proposals for a European initiative to support the military.<\/p>\n
Beirut insists on UN presence<\/strong><\/p>\n An informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the proposed European force \u201cis being discussed on a separate track from the southern Lebanon file and is not directly linked to UNIFIL\u2019s future or to any arrangements concerning the international force in southern Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n The European track is largely focused on supporting and training the army, as well as on domestic military and institutional matters, the source said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should not be confused with the debate over the form of the international presence in the south after UNIFIL\u2019s mission ends,\u201d the source added.<\/p>\n Lebanon remains committed to keeping a UN force in the south, though discussions could cover a smaller mission or one with a different structure and mandate.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Lebanon, the priority is to preserve a UN framework and an international presence in the south,\u201d the source said. \u201cDiplomatic efforts are continuing, but the proposals remain broad ideas, with no final details.\u201d<\/p>\n International discussions over the next phase are continuing alongside a Paris-launched initiative to train, support and strengthen the Lebanese army. The shape of any future international presence in the south remains undecided.<\/p>\n Push for an extension<\/strong><\/p>\n Lebanese lawmakers are also rallying support for UNIFIL\u2019s continued presence.<\/p>\n MP Fadi Alame, head of the Lebanese parliament\u2019s Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Committee, said the position presented during meetings with representatives of UN Security Council member states was \u201cvery clear: Lebanon insists on extending UNIFIL\u2019s mandate and preserving an effective UN presence in southern Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n Current conditions make that presence \u201cmore necessary than ever,\u201d he told Asharq Al-Awsat.<\/p>\n \u201cThe committee hosted representatives of Security Council member states in the presence of the defense minister and a representative of the foreign minister,\u201d Alame said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe focused clearly on the need to extend UNIFIL\u2019s mandate. What matters to us is maintaining the UN presence and ensuring that international forces remain active and effective on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n With parts of southern Lebanon occupied and devastated, the situation increasingly recalls conditions the country faced from the late 1970s onward, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe south needs an effective UN presence more than ever,\u201d Alame added. \u201cWe stressed that point to the ambassadors and diplomatic missions we met.\u201d<\/p>\n Lebanon, therefore, insists on maintaining a UN mandate and keeping Security Council Resolution 1701 as the guiding framework, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cImplementing that resolution requires UN forces on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n Mission deadline under scrutiny<\/strong><\/p>\n The Security Council decided in August 2025 to extend UNIFIL\u2019s mandate for the final time, until Dec. 31, 2026. Operations are due to end on that date, followed by an orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal over one year.<\/p>\n Alame said the decision to end the mission this year should be reconsidered.<\/p>\n \u201cWe, as parliament and as the Lebanese state, are working to convince the countries concerned that the current situation requires this force to remain,\u201d he said. \u201cIt must play an effective role, continue its duties, cooperate with the Lebanese army and assist it.\u201d<\/p>\n When Resolution 1701 was adopted, only limited areas remained under Israeli occupation, Alame said. Today, there are both occupied and devastated areas.<\/p>\n \u201cThat makes a UN force on the ground more necessary \u2014 not only to monitor and record violations, but also to help stabilize the situation and support the Lebanese army\u2019s deployment.\u201d<\/p>\n Diplomatic drive in New York<\/strong><\/p>\n Lebanon and France are meanwhile pushing to keep UNIFIL in place for an additional period.<\/p>\n The Financial Times reported that Beirut had told the Security Council that ending the mandate under current conditions would be premature and called for a limited extension. France and most council members backed the Lebanese request, while Israel opposed it.<\/p>\n Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi has left for New York to attend the UN General Assembly and meet international officials and Arab and foreign counterparts.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Nawaf Salam will lead the Lebanese delegation. The high-level general debate begins on Tuesday, Sept. 22.<\/p>\n In Washington, contacts over Lebanon and negotiations with Israel are continuing after a round of talks scheduled for Rome in September was postponed until October.<\/p>\n A Lebanese presidency statement gave no details about the planned meeting or its participants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n