During a visit to Beirut on Monday, Italy’s defense minister said the country intends to maintain a military presence in southern Lebanon after the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon expires, signaling continued European support for the Lebanese Armed Forces amid efforts to stabilize the border region. 

What happened: In a statement released by the Italian Defense Ministry, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that even after the UNIFIL mandate concludes, “Italy will continue to play its part by providing strong support for the international presence and the capacity development of the LAF itself.”  

 “We continue to work to ensure that the negotiations lead to concrete results so that no one can exploit the instability in southern Lebanon," Crosetto added.  

A statement released by the office of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Crosetto expressed Italy's wish to "keep its forces south of the Litani after UNIFIL’s withdrawal, and other European countries intend to take the same stance.” The Litani River marks the northern boundary of UNIFIL’s operations in southern Lebanon.