Lebanon’s Salam tells UN delegation follow-up force needed after UNIFIL mandate ends

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Lebanese prime minister tells a visiting UN delegation that his country will need a follow-up force in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel to fill the vacuum once the UN peacekeepers’ term expires by the end of next year.

The UN Security Council voted unanimously in August to terminate the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, at the end of 2026 — nearly five decades after the force was deployed.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam holds talks with the team representing the 15 members of the UN Security Council, saying he believes another follow-up force would help Lebanese troops along the border, where they have intensified efforts in the volatile area that witnessed the 14-month war between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group.

Salam proposes that a small follow-up force could work much like the UN observer force that has been deployed along Syria’s border with Israel since 1974.

There is no immediate response from the UN delegation, which arrived in Lebanon after a visit to Syria. Earlier today, the delegation also met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who said Lebanon would welcome any country’s decision to keep its forces in southern Lebanon after UNIFIL’s term expires.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.