EU Finalizes Plans to Send New Mission to Train Lebanese Army: Will Not Replace UNIFIL

Beirut – Mansour Shaaban: The political milieu in Beirut was preoccupied yesterday with two important visits by the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, and U.S. Senator James Lankford. They met with President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun, Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Youssef Raji, and were briefed on the Lebanese position regarding recent developments and negotiations, as well as the impending conclusion of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

At the Baabda Presidential Palace, President Aoun told Kallas that Lebanon “looks forward to signing a strategic partnership with the European Union, especially since it is a key partner for the EU in the region.” He thanked the European Council for its move to approve the deployment of a civilian-military mission to Lebanon under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), with a mandate to provide advice, training, and equipment. He expressed appreciation for “the efforts undertaken by the European Union to prevent a vacuum in the post-UNIFIL phase,” and expressed reliance on EU support to find an alternative arrangement, noting that contacts remain ongoing to reach such a solution, while emphasizing that Lebanon desires any force to operate under the UN flag.

President Aoun also pointed out that “the Lebanese Army is fully carrying out its duties in the areas where it has been deployed south of the Litani River, in implementation of the Framework Agreement, which Israel continues to refuse to implement, persisting in its attacks on southern towns and villages through shelling, destruction, and bulldozing, causing further casualties and injuries.”

He stated: “Lebanon is working with the agreement’s sponsor, the United States, and friendly countries to pressure Israel to implement the ‘Framework Agreement,’ which resulted from negotiations conducted by Lebanon with Israel under U.S. sponsorship, while emphasizing the need for long-term European support to enable the state to rebuild devastated areas.”

For her part, Kallas expressed the European Union’s readiness to provide necessary assistance to Lebanon, particularly to the army, internal security forces, and entities concerned with social and humanitarian issues.

President Aoun also affirmed, upon receiving Senator Lankford, that “Israel continues its aggressive operations in southern villages and towns that have not yet been withdrawn from,” thereby violating the content of the “Framework Agreement.” He stressed “Lebanon’s commitment to implementing the agreement and its efforts to pressure Israel to adhere to its provisions.”

In Ain el-Tineh, Kallas met with President Berri, who discussed recent political and security developments in light of Israel’s continued violations of the ceasefire agreement and its daily attacks on southern villages and towns. Berri reiterated his warning about the dangers of the expiration of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) without finding a replacement under the UN umbrella, noting that reaching such a situation would target international legitimacy and UN resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 1701, and would also negatively affect the European Union and its role.

Berri conveyed the same position to Senator Lankford and the accompanying delegation, in the presence of the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa. He stated that Israel has not complied, at any point, with any of the agreements concluded since Resolution 425 through Resolution 1701, the November 2024 agreement, up to the Tripartite Framework Agreement, adding that the root cause remains Israel’s failure to comply with the obligations of all these agreements.

From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kallas announced, during a joint press conference after talks with Minister Raja, that “the European Union has completed planning for a new mission to provide training and consultancy to the Lebanese Army and internal security forces, following an official invitation from the Lebanese authorities.” She clarified that she expects EU foreign ministers to formally approve the establishment of the mission on Monday, October 12.

Kallas emphasized that “the mission aims to strengthen the authority of the army and security forces over Lebanese territory, border security, and internal security, in line with Resolution 1701.” She stressed that it “will not replace UNIFIL nor will it be limited to the south.”

Additionally, Kallas stated in an interview with France Press on the sidelines of her visit to Lebanon that EU countries support extending the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), as its current mandate approaches its end later this year amid escalating tensions with Israel.