1m ago
Lebanese president welcomes French, Italian efforts to form coalition to replace U.N. peacekeepers
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed Friday France and Italy's efforts to set up a multinational coalition to succeed the United Nations peacekeeping force in his country, whose mandate expires at the end of the year.The peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, is made up of roughly 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries. It has been in place since 1978, although its presence has not prevented repeated outbreaks of conflict between Israel and Iranian-backed forces in Lebanon.Last August, the U.N. Security Council, under U.S. pressure, decided to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026.In a statement, Aoun called the European initiative "a sincere expression of the international commitment to supporting Lebanon's sovereignty and stability."On Thursday, after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, French President Emmanual Macron said the two countries "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" and to prevent Lebanese territory from being used as "a foothold for regional escalation."UNIFIL says seven of its soldiers have died in Lebanon since the Hezbollah-Israel war broke out in early March.
