10 Countries Join Lebanon's Front: New Mission Prepares for Post-UNIFIL Era

Confirmed by informed Lebanese military sources, ongoing communications with Europeans regarding the new mission focus on building capabilities of the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces across multiple domains.

The sources told "Ere News," that these domains include border surveillance, maritime security, and management of sites that will gradually transition responsibilities to Lebanese forces as UNIFIL’s operational mission concludes, with the proposed European force maintaining an presence outside the current UN framework.

This comes alongside EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kalas announcing Tuesday that more than 10 countries have expressed readiness to provide personnel and resources for the mission, with the EU targeting a decision to launch it by October.

A European official said the plan aims to establish the mission mid-month, with deployment of its personnel beginning late 2026 or early 2027.

According to Lebanese military sources, the army requested European assistance to focus on specialized training, command and control systems, coastal surveillance, and detection of cross-border movements, along with enhancing engineering units’ capacity to handle sites, tunnels, and weapons storage discovered during the army’s expansion in the south.

The sources add that the Lebanese vision does not include deploying combat-ready European units tasked with village searches or directly disarming Hezbollah militias—these tasks will remain under Lebanese Army responsibility, though Beirut requires surveillance equipment, communication systems, vehicles, and reconnaissance tools to expand its presence without overburdening existing units south of the Litani River.

It notes that discussions also include strengthening Internal Security Forces in areas not requiring a permanent military presence, allowing partial transfer of security burdens while keeping the army focused on arms control, military sites, and border security.

Ready Countries for Participation

An EU source close to defense and security policy circles told "Ere News" that Ireland, Austria, Spain, France, and Italy are among the most advanced in exploring participation, with other countries ready to contribute experts or resources without deploying large units.

Since late 2025, Ireland, Austria, and Spain had proposed a non-executive European mission to train the Lebanese Army and assist in sustainable deployment south of the Litani River, with an initial concept for a two-year mission and a budget ranging between 100 and 150 million euros, plus support in vehicles, equipment, and fuel via the European Peace Facility.

The source says current efforts are moving toward a composite mission combining a military track for army training and a civilian track supporting Internal Security Forces, with smaller specialized teams focusing on maritime and border security, noting that France and Italy are simultaneously exploring broader arrangements for the post-UNIFIL phase, explaining why the final form of European presence remains undecided.

He adds that planning does not assume the European force will be stationed along the Blue Line in the same manner as UNIFIL, and a significant portion of training will take place at Lebanese military facilities outside the south, with possible liaison teams and advisors based in command centers linked to the southern sector, borders, and maritime surveillance.

European countries already possess extensive experience in southern Lebanon, as UNIFIL currently includes large contingents from Italy, Spain, France, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Finland, and Poland, providing the new mission with a ready base of expertise and established coordination with the Lebanese Army. UNIFIL’s current strength stands at approximately 7,460 personnel, including 738 Italians, 677 Spaniards, 609 French, and 274 Irish.

UNIFIL’s operational mission ends on December 31 of this year, followed by a one-year organized withdrawal phase, during which the force will remain responsible for the security of its staff and facilities while overseeing the withdrawal process.