UN Warns Lebanon Pullout Leaves Israel Border Dangerously Exposed
(MENAFN) The planned withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from Lebanon could leave the region more exposed to rising tensions, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix warned on Wednesday, pressing the Security Council to spell out what will replace the mission.
Briefing reporters after a trip to the Middle East, Lacroix said Lebanese officials had raised alarm over losing a neutral third-party presence that has helped head off misunderstandings and keep lines of communication open between the two sides.
“Do we really believe that the Lebanese army and the Israel Defense Forces can be just left facing one another without any third party?” he asked.
The humanitarian stakes
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has spent decades monitoring developments along the Blue Line, documenting violations and enabling humanitarian access across southern Lebanon.
About 10,000 people still live in the zone between Israel’s forward defense line and the Blue Line, Lacroix said, underscoring how critical the mission’s humanitarian role remains.
He cautioned that its exit would open a gap not just in monitoring, but also in coordinating humanitarian convoys and in preventing accidental escalation.
No successor in sight
The drawdown comes as Israel, with backing from the US, supports ending the mission. Yet the UN has still received no clear direction from the Security Council on a possible successor arrangement.
Lacroix said withdrawal plans are ready, but built with enough flexibility to accommodate a future UN presence if one is authorized.
Briefing reporters after a trip to the Middle East, Lacroix said Lebanese officials had raised alarm over losing a neutral third-party presence that has helped head off misunderstandings and keep lines of communication open between the two sides.
“Do we really believe that the Lebanese army and the Israel Defense Forces can be just left facing one another without any third party?” he asked.
The humanitarian stakes
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has spent decades monitoring developments along the Blue Line, documenting violations and enabling humanitarian access across southern Lebanon.
About 10,000 people still live in the zone between Israel’s forward defense line and the Blue Line, Lacroix said, underscoring how critical the mission’s humanitarian role remains.
He cautioned that its exit would open a gap not just in monitoring, but also in coordinating humanitarian convoys and in preventing accidental escalation.
No successor in sight
The drawdown comes as Israel, with backing from the US, supports ending the mission. Yet the UN has still received no clear direction from the Security Council on a possible successor arrangement.
Lacroix said withdrawal plans are ready, but built with enough flexibility to accommodate a future UN presence if one is authorized.
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