French U.N. peacekeepers patrol the Lebanese-Israeli border in the village of Houla, southern Lebanon. AP
In a statement released by the Lebanese presidency, Aoun welcomed Thursday’s announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on efforts to establish a post-UNIFIL mechanism.
The president described the initiative as “a sincere expression of the international commitment to supporting Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability, and a genuine appreciation of the role played by the Lebanese Armed Forces in maintaining security and extending state authority over all its territory, particularly in the southern border regions,” the statement said.
Aoun also welcomed the French and Italian emphasis on avoiding a dangerous security vacuum after UNIFIL’s mandate expires, saying it aligns with Lebanon’s longstanding position that the Lebanese Army is “the sole guarantee of security in the south and the protection of national sovereignty”.
He reaffirmed Lebanon’s openness to any international framework that strengthens its armed forces, preserves its territorial integrity, and prevents the country from becoming a platform for regional escalation or conflict.
The initiative was announced after Macron met Meloni in the French resort of Antibes on Thursday.
France and Italy “want to launch a coalition for the post-UNIFIL arrangement, obviously in coordination with the European Union and the United Nations, to strengthen Lebanon’s sovereignty and that of its armed forces” and prevent its territory from becoming “a foothold for regional escalation”, Macron said.
“Italy and France can absolutely make a difference,” Meloni said, adding that the two sides were also considering an international conference on the issue.
The French-Italian proposal comes as Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon and says its occupation forces “will not withdraw," in violation of the terms of the MoU between the US and Iran to end all regional conflicts between the two sides, including the Israeli war in Lebanon.
Separately, talks between Lebanese and Israeli negotiators in Washington stalled over Tel Aviv's refusal to withdraw all its troops from southern Lebanon as a precondition for peace.
On Friday, Naim Qassem, Secretary General of Hezbollah, who have been fighting the Israeli occupation army in southern Lebanon, demanded that Israeli occupation forces leave “every inch” of Lebanese territory and cease all aggression against the country.
Addressing a mass Ashura rally in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Qassem said Israel “has no option but to withdraw completely from every inch of our Lebanese land and cease all aggression by air, land and sea, in all its forms”.
“Israel must leave unconditionally,” he said. “Any commitment that undermines Lebanon's sovereignty will not be tolerated, and no one has the right to sign or accept anything.”
He added: “There will be no normalization or concessions,” urging Beirut's political authorities to reject "the enemy's dictates and build a unified front against Israel's military aggression."
UNIFIL’s mandate under UN Resolution 1701 expires on 31 December 2026 after the UN Security Council decided last August to wind down the mission.
Israel has opposed the continued presence of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, attacking the international forces on tens of occasions in recent years.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has proposed a follow-on international presence to monitor the ceasefire and support the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Since escalating its attacks on Lebanon on 2 March, Israeli occupation forces have killed 4,211 people, wounded 12,173 others, and occupied vast swathes of southern Lebanon.
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