Paris talks focus on Lebanon army support as UN mission nears expiry

European and Arab military chiefs met in Paris on Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces as the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon approaches its end. The talks come amid concern over a possible security vacuum if the mission is not extended before year-end. Officials are also weighing what form any follow-on international presence could take.

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The meeting is centred on training, equipment, intelligence sharing and mentoring for Lebanon's army, according to the supplied report. A French presidency official said the exact terms of any international or multinational presence still need to be defined, including its mandate and the requests made by the Lebanese side. The same official said the discussions are also intended to prepare the ground for a donor conference expected in late 2026 or early 2027.

The immediate backdrop is the planned drawdown of the UN peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, which has about 7,500 personnel and is due to begin reducing from January if its mandate expires at the end of the year. Lebanon and France both favour an extension, but the United States and Israel have not signalled support for prolonging the mission. The report says the Lebanese army is cash-strapped and caught between the Israeli military, which is occupying much of southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah, which has refused calls to surrender its weapons.

The talks matter because they touch on the future security architecture of southern Lebanon at a sensitive moment. Any gap left by UNIFIL could affect monitoring, deterrence and coordination in an area already shaped by tensions between Israel, Hezbollah and the Lebanese state. A new international or European Union-led mission would also raise questions about how outside powers support Lebanese forces without a UN mandate.

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The discussion in Paris is part of a wider effort to rally backing for Lebanon's military, which has faced financial strain and operational pressure. The report says the heads of state of Lebanon, France and Jordan are due to meet in Paris shortly as part of that effort. A donor conference for the Lebanese army had originally been planned for February, led by France, Saudi Arabia and the United States, but it was postponed after the eruption of the Iran war and the latest round of the Israel-Hezbollah war.

What remains unclear is whether UNIFIL's mandate will be renewed, and if not, what kind of replacement arrangement could be agreed. It is also not yet clear how any France- and Italy-backed mission, or a possible EU-led mission, would be structured or authorised. The coming months are likely to determine both the shape of international support for Lebanon's army and the level of security presence in the south after UNIFIL's drawdown begins.

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