A checkpoint of the Internal Security Forces in Lebanon, as part of a security plan. Photo Hussam Chbaro
The European Union is considering options to strengthen Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF) so that the Lebanese Army can concentrate on disarming Hezbollah, according to a document seen by Reuters on Monday.
The document, produced by the EU diplomatic service and circulated among the 27 member states, says it will continue consultations with Lebanese authorities and that an exploratory mission will take place in early 2026 on possible new assistance to the ISF.
EU efforts could "focus on advising, training, and capacity building," the text says, emphasizing that the European bloc does not intend to "take over the missions of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)," whose mandate expires at the end of 2026, but would instead contribute to a gradual transfer of internal security tasks currently handled by the army to the ISF. This would allow the army to focus on its original "defense tasks."
The army has begun disarming Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and, starting in 2026, is expected to continue these efforts in the rest of the country. Thousands of Lebanese soldiers are also to be deployed in the area south of the Litani as part of the cease-fire agreement that ended 13 months of war between Hezbollah and Israel.
At the same time, the army has been handling numerous internal security missions, from arresting drug traffickers or criminals to combating terrorism.
Lebanon-Syria border
The European External Action Service document was released as a meeting between senior European and Lebanese officials is set for December 15 in Brussels.
"Through a combination of advice, training, and potentially the provision of certain equipment, the overall goal would be to enable the police (the ISF) and the police to fulfill their mandates in the country's cities and rural areas," the document states, adding that the EU could also help Lebanon better secure its land border with Syria.
French President Emmanuel Macron's special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, arrived in Beirut on Monday as part of this effort to propose a roadmap aimed at independently assessing the disarmament of Hezbollah, according to diplomatic sources.
This dispatch is based on a translation, carried out by L'Orient-Le Jour, of an article originally published in English by Reuters.
