UNIFIL stresses importance of smooth transition ahead of mission end in Lebanon

Major General Deodato Abaniara, head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and its commander, said on Saturday that it is essential to ensure other UN agencies and the Lebanese Army can take over the tasks carried out by the force before its withdrawal begins at the end of this year.

Abaniara spoke to Reuters from one of UNIFIL's sites in southern Lebanon, monitoring combat activities in the region for nearly 50 years.

Since a new war erupted between Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah in March, the force has also been providing security oversight for humanitarian aid convoys heading to a small cluster of predominantly Christian towns in southern Lebanon now surrounded by Israeli forces. Residents across much of southern Lebanon have been forcibly displaced due to Israeli airstrikes and evacuation orders.

The UN Security Council has instructed UNIFIL to begin withdrawing by the end of 2026, raising concerns about the continuity of aid delivery and how the force’s positions will be transferred to the Lebanese Army.

Abaniara told Reuters, “There are other UN entities here in the south, so it is extremely important for us to execute a very smooth transition to other entities or to pave the way for a future mission.”

He added that UNIFIL is already working with the UN team focused on Lebanon to ensure humanitarian aid reaches areas under Israeli control, and sharing information with the Lebanese Army about “sensitive areas and how it can manage this situation”.

Abaniara acknowledged it could be “extremely difficult” to hand over some UNIFIL sites to the Lebanese Army, as more than half of them lie within areas currently controlled by Israeli forces.

Israel destroys village near UN site

Diplomats fear the departure of UNIFIL could leave the UN without “its eyes and ears” in southern Lebanon.

Abaniara spoke with Reuters at a site overlooking the town of Al-Mansouri, where Israeli forces have carried out demolition operations since issuing evacuation orders to residents in June, despite the ceasefire being in effect. Reuters reporters witnessed heavy machinery destroying trees and multiple-story buildings in the town.

Abaniara described the demolitions as “another violation” of UN Security Council resolutions on Lebanon. The Israeli military says it is destroying Hezbollah-linked infrastructure throughout southern Lebanon.

As the U.S.-backed plan for the Lebanese Army to disarm Hezbollah and assert control over southern Lebanon stalls, diplomatic efforts are accelerating to address the vacuum left by UNIFIL’s withdrawal.

Lebanon seeks to extend UNIFIL’s mandate, while other countries discuss forming a new multinational mission, though it remains unclear what kind of mandate such a mission would have.

Abaniara said extending the force’s mandate would be a “great honor,” but added that if no new decision is made by the Security Council, the force will have to conclude its operations by year’s end.

He added, “This is not a long period… The presence of the United Nations in the south is vital, and for me, it is more important today than ever.”