A UN team in Lebanon examines options for border area with Israel after peacekeepers leave

BEIRUT (AP) – A United Nations delegation visting Lebanon said Saturday they came to Beirut to explore options for territory along the border with Israel after a U.N. peacekeeping force’s term ends at the end of next year.

The comments by the team representing the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council came a day after Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told them that his country will need a follow-up force in southern Lebanon to fill the vacuum once the U.N. peacekeepers’ term expires.

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously in August to terminate the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, at the end of 2026 – nearly five decades after the force was deployed. The multinational force has played a significant role in monitoring the security situation in the region, including during the Israel-Hezbollah war last year.

One of UNIFIL’s main missions has been the implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 that ended the 34-day Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006. The same resolution was used again to end the latest 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war that ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November last year.

“We wanted to use (the) opportunity of this visit to also examine options for implementation of resolution 1701 following UNIFIL’s departure from Lebanon,” said Samuel Žbogar, permanent representative of Slovenia to the U.N. and president of the Security Council.

“We are looking forward to the secretary general recommendations on this one as well,” Žbogar said in a brief statement. “As you can imagine, this is a topic that will deserve a thorough conversation during 2026.”

The delegation met during its visit to Lebanon with top officials in the country as well as the army commander. On Saturday, the team went to south Lebanon where they visited the border area with Israel.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began a day after Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, with Hezbollah firing rockets into Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian Hamas militants. Israel’s response, which included bombardment and a ground operation, last year severely weakened Hezbollah.