Lebanon is quietly exploring alternatives to the UN peacekeeping force in its south as the countdown begins to the end of UNIFIL’s decades-long mission, raising concerns over who will fill a potential security vacuum along one of the region’s most volatile borders.

With seven months until the UN force is set to withdraw, Lebanese officials are intensifying consultations with international partners to secure a continued foreign presence in the south, as Lebanon and Israel pursue direct talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire.

The looming departure of UNIFIL, long a stabilizing force and a critical buffer between Lebanese and Israeli forces, comes at a particularly fragile moment for Lebanon.

Recent fighting between Hezbollah and Israel saw Israeli forces push deep into southern Lebanon, razing villages to establish an expanded military footprint stretching 5-10 kilometers beyond the border, including within UNIFIL’s traditional area of operations.

UNIFIL’s exit, set for Dec. 31, 2026, has raised concerns in Lebanon that the south will be left exposed in a security landscape more complex than the one that existed when the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2790 on Aug. 28, 2025, which ruled to end the Blue Helmets’ mission.

Originally deployed in March 1978 to oversee Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory, UNIFIL evolved over decades into a key pillar of stability in the south, with its mandate revised multiple times in response to major developments, including the 1982 Israeli invasion that reached Beirut and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon in 2000.

IN NUMBERS

7,505 – UNIFIL personnel as of March 30, 2026.

47 – Countries contributing troops to the force.

After the 2006 war, its mandate was expanded to support the deployment of the Lebanese army across the south to restore stability, monitor the cessation of hostilities, facilitate humanitarian aid, and ensure the safe return of displaced people.

By last February, before renewed clashes erupted between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on March 2, around 2,000 UNIFIL personnel had already left Lebanon as part of a gradual withdrawal ahead of the mission’s final departure.

At the end of last year, the Lebanese Army Command announced the departure of 640 personnel, along with the withdrawal of equipment and naval vessels.

The peacekeeping force is currently estimated at around 8,200 troops, down from more than 10,000 personnel originating from 47 countries. Its numbers had previously peaked at 15,000 following the addition of a German-led naval mission.

UNIFIL has long served as the sole direct channel of communication between the Israeli and Lebanese armies, helping defuse tensions and prevent escalation.

Over the decades, peacekeepers developed close social ties with residents of villages south of the Litani River, with some even marrying into Lebanese families.

Tilak Pokharel, UNIFIL’s public information officer, said peacekeepers remain at their positions within their area of operations in south Lebanon and along the Blue Line.

He noted that the recent escalation has significantly complicated the force’s operations, particularly during the latest fighting south of the Litani River.

“Recent clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Israel have posed significant challenges, especially to freedom of movement,” he told Arab News, pointing to the presence of Israeli troops inside Lebanese territory as well as mines and unexploded ordnance.

Despite these risks, Pokharel said UNIFIL continues to monitor violations of Resolution 1701, which formed the basis of the 2006 and 2024 ceasefire agreements, while supporting local communities and facilitating humanitarian access “within its means and capabilities.”

A senior Lebanese military source echoed those concerns, saying Israeli actions had disrupted coordination with UNIFIL south of the Litani River. The Lebanese army had redeployed in the area to avoid direct confrontation with Israeli forces.

“Lebanon has not decided on war and does not want one. Coordination with UNIFIL continues, nonetheless, despite everything,” the source told Arab News.

Lebanon has not decided on war and does not want one. Coordination with UNIFIL continues, nonetheless, despite everything

Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the war when it launched a wave of drone and rocket attacks against Israel on March 2 in retaliation for the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran — the group’s key backer.

According to a Lebanese military source, Israel responded with airstrikes across Lebanon, followed on March 16 by a ground offensive backed by artillery fire that pushed deep into Lebanese territory.

The stated objective was to establish a permanent buffer zone free of Hezbollah, stretching from the border to the Litani River — a distance of roughly 30 kilometers.

Israel said its new buffer zone, delineated by the “Yellow Line,” aims to remove Hezbollah threats and ensure the safety of its northern communities.

The Lebanese army, meanwhile, has faced repeated Israeli accusations of failing to disarm Hezbollah south of the Litani.

Israeli officials have also warned on multiple occasions that state institutions could be targeted if the government does not enforce the confiscation of weapons across the south and elsewhere.

UNIFIL has faced years of systematic obstruction, with Hezbollah mobilizing civilian supporters to block patrols — harassment that has at times escalated into live fire. Patrols typically require Lebanese army escorts.

Hezbollah has also opposed any expansion of UNIFIL’s already limited mandate, which bars the force from searching private property, inspecting vessels offshore without authorization, or acting on suspicious findings without first notifying the Lebanese army.

By protocol, all inspections must be carried out in coordination with the army.

The Trump administration has described UNIFIL’s mission as a “complete failure,” cutting the US financial contribution by tens of millions of dollars and pushing for a reduction in troop numbers, ultimately contributing to the decision to end the mission.

The Lebanese army said at the end of the 2024 war that it had confiscated, in coordination with UNIFIL, about 90 percent of Hezbollah’s weapons found south of the Litani River, according to military and political officials.

However, the latest conflict has raised questions about the group’s capabilities, with Israel claiming it uncovered tunnels and weapons stockpiled inside residential buildings and even schools.

Asked whether UNIFIL requires an updated mandate to respond to the crisis, Pokharel said the mission operates strictly within parameters set by the UN Security Council.

“UNIFIL peacekeepers are here to implement the mandate given to the mission by the Security Council,” he said. “The council determines the mandate and its duration; the mission does not decide these matters itself on the ground.”

UNIFIL has continued to operate amid Israeli strikes against Hezbollah, with its personnel frequently caught in the crossfire.

The latest casualties included two French peacekeepers killed in the town of Ghandouriyeh in April and four Indonesian troops killed at the end of March. Seven other UNIFIL soldiers were wounded in two separate incidents, reportedly as a result of Israeli missile fire.

Pokharel acknowledged the mental toll on peacekeepers, noting that a full assessment has yet to be conducted.

“We have not conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the psychological impact on our peacekeepers,” he said, adding that several contingents have deployed counselors within their units to help personnel cope.

Lebanon said its direct negotiations with Israel are contingent upon a complete ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories, the release of prisoners, the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced people, and the reconstruction of damaged areas.

It has received pledges from countries participating in UNIFIL to maintain their forces in southern Lebanon after the UN mission ends, according to an official Lebanese source. France, Germany, Spain, and Italy are among those that have agreed to the request.

Local media reports indicate discussions are underway to find an alternative to UNIFIL — an international force to help monitor Lebanese security measures in the south to ensure it is free of Hezbollah weapons and that Israel withdraws.

The information is based on discussions held by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam during his recent visit to Paris, where he announced he had discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron the possibility of a UN Security Council resolution to that effect.

“American participation in any ground force is not on the table, as the US rejects it. However, what is currently being discussed is the search for an international legal framework or umbrella to cover the presence of foreign forces in Lebanon,” a Lebanese official told Arab News.

“This framework could be American, European, or even UN, perhaps even NATO. Everyone says they are ready, but what is needed is a framework,” the official added.

A senior military source said maintaining UNIFIL’s presence in southern Lebanon remains the preferred option, noting that it continues to play a stabilizing role.

The conditions under which the UN Security Council decided last August to end the mission have since changed.

“That decision did not take into account an Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon,” the source said. “The current situation is the time when Lebanon needs UNIFIL the most.”

The source noted that discussions are ongoing and that the decision could still be revisited, “albeit in a different form.”

Supporters of this view cite the recent visit of Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, during which potential alternatives to UNIFIL were discussed.

According to the source, Lacroix proposed the formation of a UN force operating under the flag of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), the body with the longest-standing presence in southern Lebanon, first deployed in 1948.

However, the body has a supervisory, non-executive character, unlike UNIFIL, which has a broader mandate, field deployment, and significant logistical and personnel capabilities.

Lacroix announced from Geneva on April 23 that the UN is working to maintain a presence in Lebanon after the end of its forces’ mission — though more limited than UNIFIL.

He said the Lebanese government has expressed “a clear desire” to maintain a UN presence, and that options for an ongoing UN presence after UNIFIL must be submitted to the Security Council by June 1.

An official Lebanese source told Arab News that some European countries, which have agreed to keep their forces in southern Lebanon, are proposing an EU-led force as a potential alternative to UNIFIL.

“However, separating European forces from NATO seems more theoretical than practical, given the structural interconnection between most European armies and the alliance,” the source added.

With competing proposals on the table, Lebanon is at a critical juncture. At stake is maintaining stability, safeguarding sovereignty, and preventing any shift in the status of the south as an area under the authority of the Lebanese state.

For Beirut, the challenge has become a political and diplomatic battle as complex as the realities on the ground.

@Arab News