PM Salam says Lebanon needs international support force following end of UNIFIL's mandate

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received a delegation of ambassadors and representatives of United Nations Security Council member states at the Grand Serail.

In attendance were Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Abdel Sattar Issa, Lebanon’s Ambassador to the U.N. Ahmad Arafa, and Director of Political and Consular Affairs Ibrahim Assaf.

During the meeting, members of the delegation reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to supporting stability in Lebanon by fully implementing international resolutions. They commended the government’s efforts to reform and strengthen state authority, particularly its commitment to keeping all weapons under state control.

Salam presented the delegation with his government’s approach, grounded in two pillars: reform and sovereignty. He reiterated the cabinet’s determination to continue implementing its reform plans and to extend state authority across all Lebanese territory using its own institutions and capabilities.

The prime minister stressed the need for the international community to pressure Israel to meet its obligations under the cessation of hostilities, including halting its ongoing violations and withdrawing from Lebanese areas it continues to occupy. He also called for efforts to secure the release of Lebanese detainees.

Salam underscored Lebanon’s need for an international support force following the end of UNIFIL’s mandate to prevent any potential security vacuum and to help maintain stability in the south. 

He proposed that such a force could operate under the U.N. Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) or take the form of a limited peacekeeping mission similar to UNDOF in the Golan Heights, with a focus on border monitoring and stabilization.