UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix warns that southern Lebanon could lose essential monitoring, liaison and humanitarian support without an agreed follow-on presence after UNIFIL’s mandate ends.
The United Nations’ peacekeeping chief has warned that ending UNIFIL’s operations without an agreed successor could leave a dangerous gap in southern Lebanon. In a 4 November briefing reported by UN Peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix urged the Security Council to decide what international presence should follow the mission.
Around 7,500 peacekeepers remain with the force. Its work includes liaison between the Lebanese and Israeli armies, monitoring violations and helping humanitarian assistance reach people in the border area. Losing those functions would pose questions that extend beyond the number of troops leaving.
The mandate deadline and withdrawal are different stages
As Security Council Report’s November assessment explains, Resolution 2790 extended UNIFIL’s mandate for a final time until 31 December 2026. It directs an orderly drawdown and withdrawal beginning from that date and completing within one year. The end of the mandate therefore should not be described as the departure of every peacekeeper on a single day.
The assessment identifies uncertainty over arrangements to support implementation of Resolution 1701 after UNIFIL. It also distinguishes the EU’s capacity-building mission from a replacement for UNIFIL’s tasks in the south. Supporting Lebanese institutions and maintaining a field mechanism for monitoring and deconfliction are related objectives with different operational requirements.
That distinction is central to the debate. A successor arrangement would need clarity about authority, personnel, access, communications and support. Agreeing that stability matters does not by itself establish who can carry out each function, or what happens if an incident interrupts the transition.
Civilians depend on the practical machinery
The UN account says Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam raised concerns about the gap with Lacroix. He cautiously estimated that about 10,000 people remain between the Blue Line and Israel’s forward defence line inside Lebanon, where humanitarian access relies heavily on the mission.
That estimate is approximate, rather than a comprehensive population count. The underlying concern is nevertheless specific: people remaining in a contested area need routes through which assistance can be coordinated. A reduction in violence does not remove the need for communications, clearance and a reliable channel between forces.
In Arab News’ account of the briefing, Lacroix highlighted UNIFIL’s deconfliction role and the difficulty of operating unarmed observers without its support in an area affected by mines, unexploded ordnance and ongoing military activity. He said withdrawal planning could adapt if the Council authorised a follow-on UN presence, while cautioning against predicting negotiations before they had properly begun.
The decision must address continuity
The operational question is consequently larger than whether another flag or uniform appears on the border. Monitoring, reporting, humanitarian access and practical coordination must remain connected. A plan that names a successor while leaving those responsibilities unresolved could still allow a gap between the formal decision and its implementation.
The Council has yet to agree on a follow-on arrangement, according to the UN briefing. With the mandate deadline approaching, the next meaningful development would be an authorised and workable plan for continuity. Until then, Lacroix’s warning remains a warning about a preventable risk, rather than a claim that the security vacuum has already occurred.
Sources
UN Peacekeeping: Lacroix briefing, 4 November
