Military Leaders Gather in Paris to Discuss Post-UNIFIL Arrangements

Senior European and Arab military leaders are gathering in Paris today, Thursday, to assess the needs of the Lebanese Armed Forces and discuss the approaching end of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), amid concerns over a potential resumption of an Israeli military campaign in southern Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon have held several rounds of talks mediated by the United States aimed at de-escalating tensions along their border. However, diplomats say a breakthrough in these negotiations is unlikely given the upcoming elections in both Israel and the United States over the coming weeks.

The Thursday meeting, which will be chaired initially by French President Emmanuel Macron alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Jordanian King Abdullah II, is taking place outside the framework of U.S.-led efforts.

The United States will be represented by a senior military official responsible for Middle East security issues.

Framework Agreement

Under U.S.-mediated talks, Israel and Lebanon reached a framework agreement calling for a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces in exchange for the Lebanese authorities disarming Hezbollah and deploying their own forces in southern Lebanon.

Diplomats said officials attending the Paris meeting will work to precisely evaluate military and financial needs ahead of a donors’ conference likely to be held in late 2026 or early 2027.

The most urgent concern lies in how to fill the potential security vacuum when the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which comprises around 7,500 personnel, begins reducing its presence starting in January.

Despite support from Lebanon and France for extending the UN force’s mandate, the United States and Israel have not expressed any backing for prolonging the mission beyond its current term.

Officials in Paris will discuss the possibility of establishing a new international mission backed by France and Italy operating outside the UN umbrella, as well as the potential launch of an EU-led mission.

The two proposals would focus on training, equipment, intelligence sharing, and advisory support for the Lebanese Army.

A French presidential official told reporters before the meeting: “The mechanisms for this international or multinational move still need to be determined… because the Lebanese have not put forward demands that particularly align with American demands at the Security Council, and because we still need to establish clear conditions for this presence and define its mandate unambiguously.”

The Ministry of Health reported that Israeli airstrikes on a town in southern Lebanon on Monday killed at least 13 people, including six children, making it one of the bloodiest days of Israeli bombing in recent weeks—a sign of the fragility of the situation in Lebanon.

Fears are growing in Lebanon of a renewed Israeli military campaign following days of escalating strikes, despite the ceasefire agreement signed in June designed to halt fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.