Diplomatic momentum: UN praises Lebanon's negotiation approach, Lebanon pushes for international guarantees

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi  

A visiting delegation of United Nations Security Council representatives focused its Middle East tour this week on two key stops: Syria and Lebanon. 

The envoys met Syrian officials on Thursday to assess conditions on the ground, stressing the country's territorial unity and the need to lift sanctions.

On Friday, the delegation arrived in Beirut, where members expressed full support for the Lebanese government's decision to add a civilian representative to the mechanism committee overseeing the ceasefire. U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus praised Ambassador Simon Karam, who was appointed to the role.

President Joseph Aoun told the delegation that Lebanon turned to negotiations to avoid a new round of violence, a step he said helped contain escalation, a sentiment echoed by Panama's representative when asked whether Lebanon could expect a peaceful Christmas.

Aoun linked the success of negotiations to Israel's position. In meetings stretching from Baabda to Ain el-Tineh and the Grand Serail, Lebanese leaders presented a unified stance: Israel must be pressured to halt its attacks, and Lebanon remains committed to the plan to confine weapons to state hands.

Aoun urged additional support for the Lebanese army, with Ortagus revealing that preparations were underway for a U.S.–French–Saudi–backed conference early next year.

Russia adopted the most distinct position in the room, insisting that Israel must withdraw from Lebanese territory, arguing that Hezbollah's arms would not have existed without occupation.

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji reaffirmed Lebanon's demand for an Israeli withdrawal, telling the delegation that military options had collapsed and that diplomacy was now the only path forward. He stressed that Lebanon seeks to resolve the issue of Hezbollah's weapons for its own stability, not to satisfy American or Israeli demands, a message he repeated to Ortagus following her separate meeting with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

While the Western envoys promised to press Israel, discussions also turned to the post-UNIFIL phase, with the peacekeeping mission's mandate set to expire at the end of 2026. No clear vision has emerged for what comes after.

Israel opposes any monitoring force along its border, and Washington, its key ally, is reluctant to invest in a new structure. 

Meanwhile, Lebanon aims to preserve international backing, though no final proposal has been adopted.

The preferred scenario is to extend UNIFIL's mandate if necessary, a position Aoun has advocated. Other options under consideration include deploying a smaller force with a mandate similar to UNDOF in the Golan Heights, or transferring responsibility to the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), established in 1948.

LBCI has learned that Lebanon is leaning toward the UNTSO model. The organization already has about 60 observers in Lebanon, compared with UNIFIL's roughly 10,000 troops, and operates solely as a monitoring body, a structure that requires a far smaller budget.

Several European countries, including France, Spain, and Italy, which currently contribute significant forces to UNIFIL, have signaled willingness to keep European troops in Lebanon, with one proposal suggesting EU financing. But such a plan is expected to face Israeli opposition, especially amid deteriorating ties between Tel Aviv and Paris.

The broader question remains whether the United States would accept giving France a strengthened role in Lebanon at a time when Donald Trump is reshaping the regional landscape and, as one diplomat put it, positioning himself as its "maestro."