Lebanon needs international force after peacekeepers leave, Salam tells UN chief
Salam continued his meetings in New York with Arab and regional leaders, focusing mainly on international support for the Lebanese Army.
by L'Orient Today staff · L'Orient TodayBEIRUT — Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reiterated to United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Monday Lebanon's "need" for a U.N.-sponsored international force to stay in the South after the current U.N. peacekeeping mandate expires.
The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which currently counts around 7,500 peacekeepers from 46 countries, has acted as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel since 1978. But under U.S. pressure, the U.N. Security Council voted last year to halt the force's mandate in December.
Salam continued his meetings in New York with Arab and regional leaders, focusing mainly on international support for the Lebanese Army, tasked with disarming Hezbollah since 2025, and on placing all weapons under state control.
Salam is holding meetings on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where he is scheduled to deliver Lebanon’s address.
Salam could also meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which would mark the first meeting between officials from the two countries in months, as the Middle East faces the prospect of a new escalation, according to Al-Modon.
329,000 people still displaced in Lebanon
During his meeting with Guterres at U.N. headquarters in New York, Salam said that over 329,000 people remained displaced in Lebanon by Israeli attacks and its occupation of large swathes of south Lebanon, and called for support for humanitarian efforts.
He also stressed “the importance of maintaining an international presence under the auspices of the United Nations in the south of the country after the withdrawal of UNIFIL,” according to a statement from his office.
The presence should “ensure the continuation of monitoring, reporting and liaison functions, contribute to preserving stability and support the process of extending the authority of the Lebanese state across its entire territory,” Salam said.
Beirut considers the issue urgent as Israel maintains troops in a self-declared “security zone” that extends about 10 kilometers into south Lebanon.
Last week, President Joseph Aoun told AFP that Lebanon wanted a new force, European or otherwise, to prevent a security vacuum after the peacekeepers leave. But he said, “the best and most optimal option remains extending UNIFIL’s mandate.”
Aoun, French President Emmanuel Macron and Jordan’s King Abdullah II also discussed creating a new force to replace UNIFIL during a meeting last week in Paris. France and Italy have said they want to establish a coalition to prepare for UNIFIL’s replacement.
Salam meets with Jordanian, Iraqi, and Turkish counterparts
During his meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Salam thanked Jordan for supporting international efforts to bolster the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces.
The two sides stressed “the importance” of continuing Lebanese-Jordanian coordination and “intensifying diplomatic efforts to contain the escalation and spare the region further confrontations,” according to a statement from Salam’s office.
Salam and his Iraqi counterpart, Ali al-Zaidi, also discussed “common challenges” and “reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the authority of the state and its institutions and continuing the process of placing weapons under the exclusive control of the state.”
Since taking office last spring, the Iraqi prime minister has pledged to have armed factions hand over their weapons to the state. The issue has fueled tensions as several groups have refused to disarm.
The two officials also followed up on the results of Salam’s visit to Baghdad last July, particularly joint projects in energy, transportation and regional interconnection, according to a statement from the Grand Serail.
Salam also discussed prefabricated housing with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The issue gained momentum Monday after authorities transported the first prefabricated homes to Zawtar Gharbieh, the first and only “pilot zone” Israel withdrew from.
The two leaders discussed “the support that Turkey could provide to the process of return and recovery” in south Lebanon.
They also reviewed agreements reached during Salam’s visit to Istanbul last July to strengthen Lebanese-Turkish relations and expand cooperation between the two countries, particularly in trade, investment, energy and infrastructure.
Monday evening, Salam met with members of the Lebanese diaspora at the Lebanese Consulate General in New York. He stressed that “there can therefore be no state with two armies, nor a state with two decisions.”
“As for weapons, we have taken important and decisive decisions, and we are continuing to implement them, regardless of the difficulties,” Salam said.
Echoing his speech in Parliament last week, Salam acknowledged that “the events and challenges have been greater than the government had anticipated” when it took office in early 2025.
He also said he was “working to secure an Israeli withdrawal, consolidate the return of our compatriots to the South and launch the recovery and reconstruction process.”
“I know that we cannot ask you to invest in a country where the state does not fulfill its duties,” Salam said. He called on Lebanese “in New York, Washington, Paris, London or the Gulf countries to become partners in a new economic project.”
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