UN working on post-UNIFIL presence options as Lebanon ceasefire holds

The United Nations said on Thursday it was "working on" maintaining a presence in Lebanon once the mandate for its UNIFIL peacekeeping force expires at the end of the year. "In terms of the post-UNIFIL, we're currently in the process of working on these options," said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, with the Lebanese government "very clear that they would want to keep a UN presence." The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has served fulfilled peacekeeping duties between Israel and Lebanon since 1978 but finds itself caught in the crossfire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. UNIFIL comprises nearly 8,200 troops from 47 countries. It has lost five troops in recent days: two French nationals and three Indonesians. Lebanon was drawn into the war on 2 March when Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli airstrikes. Lacroix told a press conference in Geneva that any future uniformed UN presence in southern Lebanon would have to be decided upon by the Security Council in New York. The Security Council has requested options for a possible post-UNIFIL United Nations presence, and "we must present these recommendations...before 1 June," he said. Lacroix did not elaborate on the various options but said any eventual presence would probably be smaller than UNIFIL. The force's mandate was renewed annually and is set to expire on 31 December. At the end of August, under pressure from the United States and Israel, the Security Council decided to schedule its withdrawal for 2027, a move some thought premature. UNIFIL is primarily tasked with supporting humanitarian work but it can also deploy its forces to ensure its area of operations is not used for hostile actions. Lacroix said there were "a number of capacities....which we have been providing" that Beirut would want to keep, such as monitoring, reporting, observing and liaising. "A durable solution to the problem will have to take into account the security needs of Lebanon and of Israel," he said. A 10-day ceasefire has been in effect in Lebanon since Friday, pausing the war between Israel and Hezbollah that has left more than 2,400 dead in Lebanon. On the ground, "there has been a relative ceasefire for the past few days, but nonetheless a lull" which has allowed UNIFIL to "intensify" its activities in certain areas, including support for civilian populations, said Lacroix. UNIFIL "is ready to do more to support the Lebanese army and the Lebanese government in any actions they may undertake to advance the disarmament process of armed groups," he stated, while stressing that "this will be difficult" due to "resistance from Hezbollah" and the "limitations of the Lebanese army's capabilities." Israel and Lebanon were to hold a second round of talks in Washington on Thursday, during which Beirut will request a one-month extension of the ceasefire, according to a Lebanese official.