Lebanon backs French-Italian plan for post-UNIFIL security coalition

BEIRUT – Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday welcomed a French-Italian initiative to establish an international coalition to support Lebanon after the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ends, describing the proposal as a strong expression of international commitment to the country's sovereignty and stability.

The Lebanese presidency said Aoun's remarks came a day after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that Rome and Paris were working together to build an international coalition to define a mechanism for the period following the end of the long-running UN peacekeeping mission.

Aoun described the initiative as "a sincere expression of the international commitment to supporting Lebanon's sovereignty and stability" and as genuine recognition of the role played by the Lebanese Armed Forces in maintaining security and extending state authority across the country's territory, particularly along the southern border.

He also welcomed the joint French-Italian insistence on preventing a security vacuum after UNIFIL's departure, saying the approach was fully aligned with Lebanon's long-standing position that the Lebanese army is "the only genuine and real guarantee" for security in the south and for safeguarding the country's sovereignty.

The president said Lebanon looked positively on any international arrangement capable of strengthening the armed forces, preserving the country's territorial integrity and preventing Lebanon from once again becoming an arena for regional escalation and geopolitical rivalries. He reaffirmed Beirut's readiness to coordinate with its international partners in a manner that serves the interests of the Lebanese people and reinforces regional stability.

The proposal comes as the UN peacekeeping mission approaches the end of its mandate under a Security Council resolution adopted unanimously in August 2025, which extended UNIFIL's deployment for a final time until December 31, 2026.

The resolution also set out a one-year timetable for a gradual, coordinated and safe drawdown and withdrawal of the force beginning from that date, bringing to a close one of the UN's longest-running peacekeeping operations.

The French-Italian proposal envisages a coordination mechanism involving the United Nations and the European Union aimed at ensuring continued monitoring of the security situation in southern Lebanon while providing sustained support for the Lebanese army. The objective is to prevent any security vacuum that could be exploited by domestic or regional actors to inflame tensions along the border with Israel.

The initiative has gained momentum as discussions intensify over the future security architecture in southern Lebanon following growing international debate about UNIFIL's effectiveness after repeated confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah.

Around 7,500 UN peacekeepers from nearly 50 countries are currently deployed across southern Lebanon along the Blue Line. Since its establishment in 1978, UNIFIL has been tasked with monitoring the cessation of hostilities, helping maintain stability and supporting Lebanese state authorities.

Its performance, however, has increasingly come under scrutiny among international powers, particularly after repeated cross-border hostilities involving Israel and Hezbollah fuelled calls for more effective security arrangements capable of responding to changing conditions on the ground.

Against that backdrop, the French-Italian initiative is being presented as a transitional framework designed to preserve stability while assigning the Lebanese army a larger role as the principal security institution responsible for maintaining order in the south.

Speaking after talks in Antibes on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said France and Italy wanted to launch a coalition, in coordination with the European Union and the United Nations, to strengthen Lebanon's sovereignty and that of its armed forces while preventing Lebanese territory from becoming a platform for renewed regional escalation.

Meloni said the initiative could ultimately lead to an international conference, underlining Paris and Rome's shared ambition to play a more active role in Mediterranean security after UNIFIL's mandate expires.