French Blue Helmets in Sour, on July 8, 2025. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The post-UNIFIL era remains uncertain. French President Emmanuel Macron told President Joseph Aoun that he is consulting countries on a possible international force in southern Lebanon after the planned 2027 withdrawal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).For her part, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced Thursday that Rome and Paris had agreed to form an international coalition to support Lebanon after the Blue Helmets’ departure, with the possibility of organizing an international conference on the issue.President Aoun welcomed the announcement, calling the initiative “a sincere expression of international commitment to supporting Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability.” He expressed his gratitude for the joint French-Italian insistence on the need to prevent any dangerous vacuum in the post-UNIFIL phase. ...
The post-UNIFIL era remains uncertain. French President Emmanuel Macron told President Joseph Aoun that he is consulting countries on a possible international force in southern Lebanon after the planned 2027 withdrawal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).For her part, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced Thursday that Rome and Paris had agreed to form an international coalition to support Lebanon after the Blue Helmets’ departure, with the possibility of organizing an international conference on the issue.President Aoun welcomed the announcement, calling the initiative “a sincere expression of international commitment to supporting Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability.” He expressed his gratitude for the joint French-Italian insistence on the need to prevent any dangerous vacuum in the post-UNIFIL...
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