Lebanon, Italy and France discuss future of UNIFIL in Rome as mandate nears expiry

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is due to travel to Rome this week for talks on the future of the United Nations peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, as its mandate ends later this year. The visit, scheduled for Thursday, comes amid efforts by Italy and France to shape a multinational successor arrangement for UNIFIL. The discussions are expected to focus on how international forces could remain in the south if the current mission is not extended.

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A Lebanese official said Mr Aoun will meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to discuss "the future of the international forces, particularly in light of the French-Italian initiative to set up a force to replace UNIFIL". He is also due to meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican and brief him on the contacts Lebanon has been making since negotiations began with Israel. Italy and France said in June that they wanted to establish a multinational coalition to succeed UNIFIL, and both countries already contribute large troop contingents to the mission.

The talks come as Lebanon and Israel continue US-sponsored direct negotiations after the conflict that drew Lebanon into the wider Middle East war in March. According to the supplied material, Hezbollah attacked Israel, which responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion. A framework agreement reached in June calls for Hezbollah to be disarmed, for Israeli forces to withdraw gradually from south Lebanon, and for the Lebanese army to deploy to the area, beginning in pilot zones.

Mr Aoun has said Lebanon's preferred option is to extend UNIFIL's mandate, while Israel opposes that approach. The future of the peacekeeping force matters because Lebanon and several other countries fear a security vacuum if UNIFIL leaves without a replacement in place. In a June report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said peacekeepers would still be needed after the mission ends and outlined three options ranging from nearly 2,000 to more than 5,500 UN personnel.

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The issue is closely tied to the wider effort to stabilise south Lebanon, where international forces have long played a role alongside the Lebanese army. UNIFIL currently has about 7,500 personnel drawn from nearly 50 countries, making it one of the UN's larger peacekeeping operations. The mission has been present in south Lebanon for decades, and its future has become more urgent as the mandate deadline approaches.

Last month, 86 Lebanese politicians signed a letter urging the Security Council to keep the peacekeepers in place. The Rome talks are therefore part of a broader diplomatic effort to avoid a gap in international monitoring and support. What remains unclear is whether the Security Council will agree to extend UNIFIL, or whether a new multinational force could be assembled in time.

It is also not yet clear how any successor arrangement would be structured, what mandate it would have, or how it would coordinate with the Lebanese army. The outcome of the Rome meetings is likely to shape the next phase of negotiations over security in south Lebanon and the implementation of the June framework.

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