Politics
Lebanon insists UNIFIL stays as mandate expiry nears
October 14, 2026 at 03:28 PM · Updated 2d ago
4 reports · over 10 hours
AJAl Jazeera Arabic
واشنطن ترفض تمديد ولاية اليونيفيل وتدعو إلى إطار أمني جديد في لبنان
(opens the publisher’s site)
AJAl Jazeera Arabic
بعد نحو 5 عقود.. نهاية اليونيفيل وأسئلة ما بعد الانسحاب
(opens the publisher’s site)
يواليوم السابع
نواف سلام: لبنان يرفض أى فراغ بعد انتهاء مهمة اليونيفيل ويتمسك بقوة دولية
(opens the publisher’s site)
AJAl Jazeera Arabic
عون: لبنان متمسك ببقاء اليونيفيل
(opens the publisher’s site)Lebanese leaders told UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix in Beirut that UNIFIL must remain after its mandate expires at the end of 2026.
- President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met Lacroix on Wednesday to discuss the international force's future in southern Lebanon.
- Aoun said Lebanon is committed to keeping UNIFIL, warning its withdrawal would create a vacuum amid Israeli occupation of southern villages.
- Salam said Lebanon rejects any vacuum after UNIFIL's current mission ends and is open to new international formulas for the force, provided the mandate comes from the Security Council.
- Lacroix said Security Council discussions on the force's future will begin now, with options prepared by the UN Secretary-General based on Lebanese input.
- UNIFIL will end its field operations in southern Lebanon by December 2026 under Security Council Resolution 2790 of August 2025.
- Guterres submitted three post-withdrawal options ranging from 5,500 to 2,000 personnel, which face a potential US veto and Israeli rejection.
- France, Italy and the EU explore alternative formulas while China and Russia back maintaining an international presence.
- A US State Department official told Al Jazeera that Washington opposes extending UNIFIL's mandate beyond December 31, citing the mission's failure after seven conflicts.