Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomes the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, on Jan, 7, 2026, at the Baabda Presidential Palace. (Photo taken from the X account of the presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, at the Baabda Presidential Palace on Wednesday and stated that Lebanon "welcomes any initiative by countries wishing to maintain a military presence in the South after the withdrawal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)," scheduled by the end of 2027.
Aoun added that "this presence would be part of an agreed arrangement aimed at supporting the Lebanese Army," whose numbers are expected to increase "in the coming weeks." Visiting Lebanon, Jean-Pierre Lacroix is also set to meet with local officials throughout the day, including Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Rajji.
At the end of December, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto expressed Rome's desire to "maintain its forces south of the Litani River" after the withdrawal of the peacekeepers, who have been deployed in the south of the country since 1978 and whose withdrawal is set to begin on Dec. 31, 2026, with a full exit by the end of 2027. According to Crosetto, other European countries "share this intention."
UNIFIL is part of the cease-fire monitoring committee set up in November 2024, at the end of the latest full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah. This mechanism is tasked in particular with ensuring respect for the truce agreement, which Israel continues to disregard, and guaranteeing the dismantling of Hezbollah's military infrastructure south of the Litani.
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