EU looking at options for boosting Lebanon's internal security forces: Reuters

The European Union is studying options for strengthening Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces to help free up the Lebanese army to focus on disarming the armed group Hezbollah, according to a document seen by Reuters on Monday.

The document, produced by the EU’s diplomatic arm and circulated to the 27 member states, said it would pursue consultations with Lebanese authorities and that a scoping mission would take place in early 2026 on possible new assistance for the country’s Internal Security Forces.

EU efforts could “focus on advice, training and capacity-building,” the paper said, adding that the bloc would not take over the tasks of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), whose mandate is set to expire at the end of 2026, when it is expected to begin a year-long drawdown and withdrawal.

Instead, the EU “could contribute to the gradual transfer of internal security tasks” from the Lebanese Armed Forces to the Internal Security Forces, allowing the army to focus on its core defence tasks, the document said.

The U.N. secretary general is expected to produce a transition plan in June 2026 that will address risks stemming from UNIFIL’s departure.

The paper from the European External Action Service comes ahead of a planned meeting between senior EU and Lebanese officials in Brussels on December 15.

“Through a combination of advice, training and possibly the provision of certain equipment, the overall objective would be to enable the Police and the Gendarmerie to fulfil their mandates in cities and rural areas across the country,” it said, adding the EU could also help Lebanon to better secure its land border with Syria.



Reuters