Lebanon's PM calls for international force to replace UNIFIL: What to know

BEIRUT — Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is calling for an international force in Lebanon to replace the UNIFIL contingent as its term expires in December.

Salam and Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji held a series of meetings with Western and Arab leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly summit.

The premier said in a statement posted on X Tuesday, “During these meetings, I conveyed Lebanon’s priorities: the need for Israel to commit to a full withdrawal from Lebanese territory and to cease its acts of aggression; the need to strengthen the military's capabilities; efforts to ensure a continued international presence in the south as UNIFIL's mission expires; and extending state authority and ensuring that weapons remain solely under state control.” 

Salam said he met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani and US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). 

In his meeting with Guterres on Monday, Salam highlighted the importance of maintaining an international presence under UN auspices in south Lebanon after UNIFIL’s mandate ends, which he said would contribute to preserving stability and support the Lebanese state’s efforts to extend its authority on all Lebanese territories, according to a government statement. 

Lebanese authorities have been seeking to preserve an international security presence in the south or to renew UNIFIL’s mandate, fearing a security vacuum after UN peacekeeping forces begin their phased withdrawal.

In August 2025, the UN Security Council extended the mission’s mandate until the end of December 2026, to be followed by a year-long drawdown and withdrawal. UNIFIL’s mission in Lebanon has long been rocky. Israel accuses it of failing to prevent Hezbollah from building military infrastructure in southern Lebanon. The US has also opposed renewing the mission, arguing that it has failed to meet its main objective of maintaining security in the border area. 

Background: The UN peacekeeping force has been patrolling the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border since its establishment in 1978, following the withdrawal of the Israeli military, which briefly invaded Lebanon that year.

France reportedly backed Lebanon’s request to renew UNIFIL’s mandate during Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s visit to Paris last week. France and Italy are already working to come up with an alternative force that could replace the UN peacekeepers in case the extension fails to pass.

Know more: Israeli forces in south Lebanon carried out a series of explosions in the Nabatiyeh governorate town of al-Khiam overnight on Wednesday, damaging power supply lines in the area.

Local outlets reported massive explosions that rocked Khiam just after midnight that were felt as far as the western Bekaa Valley. The Israeli military blew up several chalets and caused a complete power outage in the Hasbaya, Shebaa and al-Arqoub areas, the state-run National News Agency reported. The attack also caused significant material damage in Khiam and the surrounding towns, including at a school in Marjeyoun, forcing it to suspend classes.

تضرر مدرسة مرجعيون الرسمية وتعليق الدروس موقتًا جراء التفجير الضخم في مدينة الخيام ليلا كما تضررت العديد من المنازل في البلدات المحيطة https://t.co/gcIoi35p0O

— bintjbeil.org (@bintjbeilnews) September 23, 2026

No casualties have been reported so far and the Israeli military has not commented.