Maintaining UNIFIL is the best option for regional stability as Lebanon implements a U.S.-mediated framework agreement.
On Friday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended the need for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to remain in the country’s south.
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“We call on the European Union to support the implementation of the framework agreement, as Lebanon’s stability will have an impact on the stability of countries across the region. Maintaining UNIFIL is the best option for the next phase, and if that is not possible, then an alternative force should be created to replace it,” he said.
UNIFIL’s mandate will officially end its operations on Dec. 31, 2026, after which the peacekeeping force will undergo a phased reduction and orderly withdrawal throughout 2027.
Once UNIFIL operations cease, a one-year transition period will begin to pack up equipment and transfer security responsibilities to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Israel is blowing up civilian homes in South Lebanon. Then it uploads the footage online like a trophy.
Israel celebrates its war crimes publicly.
No shame. No accountability. No consequences. pic.twitter.com/1msfRJ2nWl
— sarah (@sahouraxo) July 22, 2026
Earlier this week, after a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, Aoun said that “the time has come to end the war once and for all” and asserted that Lebanon “is committed to the path of reforms.”
European Union Ambassador Sandra De Waele said that “Lebanon is at a crossroads and at the beginning of a new chapter, and we support it on the path toward security, stability and reforms,” according to the Lebanese Presidency.
On June 26, Israel and Lebanon signed a U.S.-mediated framework agreement establishing a roadmap to advance toward “lasting peace and security” between the two countries.
The agreement provides for the Lebanese Armed Forces to gradually assume responsibility for “full and effective security” in what have been designated as “pilot zones,” from which Israeli occupation forces are to gradually withdraw.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
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