UNIFIL: Aoun seeks mandate extension as 'first option,' alternative international force if not

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said his "first option" is to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is set to expire at the end of this year, amid ongoing Israeli attacks in the South. Failing that, he said the deployment of an alternative international force could be considered.

"Lebanon's first option is to extend the mandate of UNIFIL," Aoun told MPs calling for the U.N. force's mandate to be extended. The Security Council is scheduled to hold closed-door consultations Tuesday to hear from Mohammad Khaled Khiari, assistant secretary-general for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific.

While a last-minute renewal of UNIFIL's mission is not out of the question, Western powers are also working behind the scenes to establish a different multinational force in southern Lebanon.

"If an extension is not possible, the second option would be to adopt a formula that guarantees the continued presence of international forces in the South, under the appropriate legal framework, alongside and in coordination with the Lebanese army, in order to support stability and fulfill the missions assigned to them," Aoun added.

"UNIFIL's presence in the South is important for several reasons. It helps residents remain in their villages and towns and enhances stability, in cooperation and coordination with the Lebanese Army," Aoun said before a parliamentary delegation of 20 MPs led by Melhem Khalaf, an MP affiliated with the 2019 protest movement, who came to request an extension of the Blue Helmets' mandate.

The president also praised the MPs' initiative, noting that 86 of them — more than two-thirds of Parliament — signed a petition in mid-July addressed to members of the U.N. Security Council calling for UNIFIL to be maintained and strengthened.

Presented by Khalaf, the document recalls that UNIFIL was created in 1978 by Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426 with three objectives — Israeli withdrawal, restoration of peace and re-establishment of Lebanese state authority — which have still not been fully achieved, despite the subsequent strengthening of its mandate under Resolution 1701 (2006).

The signatories argue that the "persistence of aggressions" justifies not only maintaining UNIFIL but also broadening its powers, rather than ending its mission.

"We do not claim that UNIFIL's presence has achieved total peace or prevented all attacks or violations," the text reads. "But shortcomings in carrying out the mission are not resolved by abolishing it, existing dangers are not countered by withdrawing international cover, and responsibility does not end simply because it has lasted a long time."

Aoun also recalled that Israel has opposed UNIFIL's presence and exerted pressure to that end for nearly a year, while Lebanon continues to request that the force remain. He said the main goal is to find a solution that guarantees the continuity of an international presence in the South, either through the renewal of UNIFIL's mandate or the establishment of successor or replacement international forces, to preserve stability and strengthen the role of the state and the Lebanese Army.

The MPs were also received at the Grand Serail by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, to whom they handed a copy of the petition signed by 86 MPs.

"I personally informed the United Nations secretary-general [Antonio Guterres], during his visit to Beirut and in subsequent exchanges, of Lebanon's clear position on this issue. He expressed his understanding regarding the need to maintain a United Nations force in the South to succeed UNIFIL, which he also reflected in his most recent report on the matter," Salam said.

Lebanon’s position leaves the mandate’s future between renewal and replacement, with the choice likely to shape how international forces would coordinate with the Lebanese Army in southern Lebanon.