France, Italy to set up multinational coalition to succeed Unifil in Lebanon

ANTIBES: France and Italy want to set up a multinational coalition to succeed the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, Unifil, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.

“We want to launch a coalition for the post-Unifil arrangement, obviously in coordination with the European Union and the United Nations, to strengthen Lebanon’s sovereignty and that of its armed forces,” Macron said after talks with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the town of Antibes on the French Riviera.

The new force would help prevent Lebanon’s territory from becoming “a foothold for regional escalation,” Macron said.

“Italy and France can absolutely make a difference,” the Italian prime minister said.

“From our point of view, it is necessary to ensure an international presence that avoids an extremely dangerous security vacuum.”

France is one of the biggest contributors to the UN peacekeeping force.

Unifil currently counts some 7,500 peacekeepers from nearly 50 countries. They are deployed in south Lebanon near the Blue Line.

The force has been a buffer between Lebanon and Israel since 1978, although its presence has not prevented repeated outbreaks of conflict.

Last August, the UN Security Council, under US pressure, decided to end the mandate of Unifil on December 31, 2026.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has said that peacekeepers will be needed in Lebanon after the mandate of the current mission expires, an option likely to face opposition from the United States and Israel.