EU steps up Lebanon security role as UN peacekeepers prepare to leave

EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to set up a new civilian and military mission in Lebanon to strengthen the country’s security forces, as the United Nations prepares to end its long-running peacekeeping operation there.

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The mission, which could deploy within months, will focus on border and maritime security, counter-drone operations and training Lebanese security forces. Its precise mandate, staffing and command structure have yet to be finalised.

Unlike the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), whose mandate expires at the end of 2026, the EU mission will not be deployed in the south, where Israel is continuing its military campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

“We will establish a new mission in Lebanon. It has a civilian and military pillar,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday.

“We hope that this mission will be ready to work on the ground already, in a couple of months. I was just in Lebanon last week. This is highly welcomed by the local authorities,” she added.

The decision comes as Lebanon faces an uncertain security future following the planned withdrawal of UNIFIL, which has served as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has called for the UN operation’s mandate to be extended.

Israel has long criticised UNIFIL as ineffective in containing Hezbollah, while the United States has also questioned its role, favouring a security arrangement directly between Israel and Lebanon.

EU officials insist the new mission is not intended to replace UNIFIL, but to strengthen Lebanon’s own security capabilities.

“It will have a number of tasks to carry out over a period of up to three years, namely strengthening border security, ensuring maritime security and combating drones. In both its military and civilian aspects, the mission will support the Lebanese police in their day-to-day duties,” said Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Brussels is considering deploying around 150 personnel, a fraction of the roughly 7,500 peacekeepers currently serving with UNIFIL.

The mission is expected to operate under the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), with an initial mandate of up to three years, subject to renewal. Contributions of personnel and equipment by member states will be voluntary.

It remains unclear which countries will participate, although several existing UNIFIL contributors – including Italy, France, Spain, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Finland and Poland – have expressed interest in maintaining a presence in Lebanon.

The command structure is another unresolved issue. One proposal under discussion would see leadership rotate between Italy, France and Spain.

In June, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that their countries would jointly lead an international coalition to support Lebanon following UNIFIL’s withdrawal. It is not yet clear whether that initiative will operate separately or be incorporated into the EU mission.

Ireland, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, has also signalled its intention to participate.

Dublin is prepared to contribute to the civilian component, although its involvement in the military mission could be complicated by ongoing reforms to the legal framework governing overseas deployments of Irish troops.

“We have been there for decades. We have contributed to supporting the region, supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces, but in particular the civilian population for decades. And I would not like to see that being lost,” said Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee.