Aoun warns of a security vacuum in the South as Salam continues his international outreach in New York

Beirut – Mansour Shaaban

Barely a day passes without low-altitude drone flights over the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and the southern suburb, amid Israel’s open war against numerous areas in Lebanon. Starting from the south, the Israeli army carried out two major explosions in the vicinity of the towns of Bint Jbeil and Braashit. Additionally, solar energy panels in the common lands of the town of Maifdein were shelled, causing them to catch fire, and a major explosion occurred in the Al-Abd al-Nabi neighborhood of Braashit.

From Baabda Palace, President General Joseph Aoun is following the communications and meetings of Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam and Foreign Minister and Minister of Lebanese Abroad, Youssef Rajji, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. During his reception of Admiral Edward Algernon, the UK government’s senior defense advisor for the Middle East, the President stated that “Lebanon welcomes any alternative force to UNIFIL if its mandate cannot be extended,” and that “the non-extension of UNIFIL’s mandate and the failure to form an alternative international force would create a vacuum that does not serve security and stability in the region, especially if the Israeli occupation of southern villages and towns continues as it does now.” He informed Algernon that Israel is “refusing to implement the framework agreement.”

Returning to New York, President Salam met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in the presence of Minister Rajji. The meeting focused on bilateral relations between Lebanon and Russia and ways to strengthen them, as well as the latest developments in Lebanon and the region. President Salam emphasized “the importance of maintaining an international presence in the south after the end of UNIFIL’s mission.” He also met with Rima Al-Hamshari, the UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, in the presence of Lebanon’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ahmed Arafa.

Salam summarized the key points of his meetings: intensifying efforts to de-escalate and spare Lebanon and the region from further confrontations; strengthening Lebanon’s Arab, regional, and international relations; expanding economic and investment cooperation and regional connectivity, particularly in the fields of energy, electricity, transport, and infrastructure; leveraging international expertise to modernize administration and digitize government services; continuing work in Lebanon on reform and strengthening state institutions; extending state authority over its entire territory; consolidating the monopoly of weapons and the decisions of war and peace in the hands of the state alone; the necessity of Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the cessation of its aggression; and beginning now to prepare for the post-UNIFIL phase to avoid any vacuum in the south.

For his part, Rajji met with Riccardo Paterno di Montecupo, Senior Advisor to the Order of Malta, at its headquarters in New York. He was informed that a model health center will soon open in West Zoutar, with hopes that this project will be extended to more areas in the south.

Rajji also discussed with Helen McEntee, Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, the proposed formulas for the period following the end of the UNIFIL mission. During the meeting, she raised the issue of the killing of soldiers from the Irish battalion serving within the “peacekeeping” forces, inquiring about the status of the investigations and whether those responsible for these attacks have been held accountable.

The European Commission announced in a statement: “The provision of financial support worth 505 million euros to Lebanon for 2026 and 2027, which is the second part of the one-billion-euro support package announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Beirut in May 2024.”

On the ground, diplomatic activity has not been absent from the south. European ambassadors, including Spain’s Miguel de Lucas González, Norway’s Hilde Haraldstad, and Sweden’s Thomas Brundin, along with a representative from the Belgian Embassy in Lebanon, visited some of its areas. They toured the Al-Zaatri Secondary School shelter center in the city of Sidon to assess the situation of displaced persons.