UN Mission in Lebanon Ends After Nearly 50 Years; Guterres Proposes New Peacekeeping Options

The United Nations Security Council must decide by December 31 whether to authorize a new peacekeeping presence in Lebanon after the current mission ends. The outgoing force of roughly 7,500 troops has monitored the 120-kilometer Blue Line since 1978.

Last August the council voted under U.S. pressure to terminate the existing mandate on December 31, 2026, while directing the UN chief to submit replacement options by June 1. A report delivered Monday outlines three alternatives that would keep between nearly 2,000 and more than 5,500 uniformed personnel in southern Lebanon.

The report states that any new force would focus on ceasefire monitoring, liaison with the Lebanese Armed Forces, and support for de-escalation along the de facto border with Israel. It notes that a uniformed UN presence would remain necessary under every proposed configuration.

Lebanese officials have expressed support for continued international assistance to facilitate an Israeli withdrawal and to help the state extend authority throughout its territory.

The United States and Israel welcomed the August decision to end the current mandate. The Trump administration has questioned the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations and has withheld portions of U.S. funding, leading to troop reductions worldwide.

Direct talks between Israel and Lebanon are underway to address decades of hostilities while Israeli troops remain in parts of southern Lebanon.

“Under all proposed options, a uniformed United Nations presence working to facilitate de-escalation, dialogue, liaison and coordination, and support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, would be necessary... towards the overarching objective of a long-term solution to the conflict.”

The current force has not prevented repeated outbreaks of conflict despite its long-standing buffer role. Several Lebanese sources told AFP that Beirut supports maintaining a UN presence after the existing mission departs.