JAKARTA - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday proposed three new troop options for a mission in southern Lebanon, following the end of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission.
In a letter to the Security Council, Secretary-General Guterres said a continued peacekeeping force would be needed to monitor the Israel-Lebanon border, support the Lebanese army, and help prevent a recurrence of the conflict.
He also outlined three possible options for deploying troops in southern Lebanon, ranging from a force of around 1,500 personnel to more than 5,500 troops and military observers.
"In all proposed options, the presence of UN troops in uniform working to facilitate de-escalation, dialogue, liaison and coordination, as well as support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, will be necessary towards the ultimate goal of a long-term solution to the conflict," wrote Secretary-General Guterres, launching The National (2/6).
Quoted from the UN website, UNIFIL, which was established based on UN Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426 in 1978, was later supplemented by UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in 2006, will end its mission in Lebanon on December 31, 2026 in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2790 in 2025.
The first option would be to establish an unarmed military observer presence of 350 personnel supported by four infantry battalions with a total of 3,000 armed troops and a reserve force of 700 people.
According to a letter seen by The National, it "will have the capacity to observe developments along the Blue Line and up to the Litani River with the most credibility".
The second option would place 285 military observers, two infantry battalions with a total of 1,500 troops and a reserve force of 450 people.
It will focus on the area between the Litani River and the Blue Line, and will have "the capacity to directly monitor part of the Blue Line through its physical presence, including from static observation posts and through patrols".
Meanwhile, the third and smallest option will consist of 215 military observers, two light infantry battalions each consisting of 450 troops, and a rapid reaction force consisting of 350 people.
Under the arrangement, the UN would monitor developments along the Blue Line and several kilometers to the north, but "the entire Blue Line cannot be monitored continuously without the necessary technological capacity," the letter said.
The proposals come as Israel and Hezbollah remain engaged in their most serious confrontation in nearly two decades, raising questions about the future of a U.N. mission that has monitored the border since the end of the 2006 war.
Guterres' secretary-general noted that Israeli forces continued to occupy positions north of the Blue Line and said the future UN mission would help verify and monitor their withdrawal.
He also called for greater international support to the Lebanese army to help the government establish a "state monopoly on weapons", echoing long-standing international demands for the disarmament of non-state armed groups including Hezbollah.
"These efforts continue to be vital in creating a conducive environment towards a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict," he said.
UNIFIL is made up of around 7,500 peacekeepers from nearly 50 countries stationed along the 120 km Blue Line, the UN-designated border separating Lebanon and Israel.
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