Lebanon25 September, 20262 min read
Nawaf Salam Warns Of ‘Vacuum’ If UNIFIL Leaves, Demands Israel Withdraw From Lebanon
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Salam demanded Israel's full withdrawal from Lebanese territory and a consolidated ceasefire. He urged a replacement international force to fill UNIFIL's vacuum after December.
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UNIFIL end, border control
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam insisted at the U.N. General Assembly that Lebanon must "avert the vacuum" if UNIFIL leaves southern Lebanon without a viable replacement.
Salam said UNIFIL currently has 7,500 peacekeepers from around 50 countries deployed along the Blue Line, which stretches for 120 kilometers marking a de facto border between Lebanon and Israel.
Salam also demanded Israel fully withdraw from Lebanese territory and said Lebanon must move forward in extending state authority over its entire territory, ensuring "weapons (are) held by the state alone."
The U.N. force reported extensive Israeli military ground activities in its area of operation and repeated violations of Lebanese airspace and territorial waters between Monday and Thursday, and the peacekeepers recorded 195 airspace violations involving Israeli drones, fighter aircrafts and helicopters, according to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Salam demands withdrawal, state monopoly
Salam told the U.N. General Assembly that "We want the war to end and we want the ceasefire [with Israel] consolidated," while he demanded a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory up to its internationally recognised border.
Salam also called for the release of all Lebanese detainees and said his government had entered negotiations with Israel mediated by the United States and President Donald Trump to end the war and restore Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Salam pledged to oversee the disarmament of Hezbollah in exchange for Israel’s eventual full withdrawal, and he said "weapons must be exclusively in the hands of the state and that decisions on war and peace rest solely with its constitutional institutions."
In parallel, Salam argued that Lebanon cannot ask others to assume obligations that belong to the Lebanese state, and he said "No one speaks on our behalf, and no one negotiates on our behalf, except the Lebanese state through its constitutional institutions."
Washington versus Europe on UNIFIL
Lebanese ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Beirut is awaiting what Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix will bring as UNIFIL’s mandate ends later this year. Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Western diplomatic sources said Washington’s view is that "only the Lebanese army should assume the task of border security" and that "there should be no need for any other force in the region."
The same sources said the European approach believes the Lebanese army should take on the task in the end but "at this time it cannot carry out the mission alone and needs international support in this transitional phase." Asharq Al-Awsat also quoted Lebanese sources saying "Washington must start equipping and strengthening the army before talking about handing over border security alone," while those sources said Beirut wants an international witness to breaches by Israel in the south and support for deployment, removing mines and war remnants, and ensuring electricity, ambulance services, and healthcare in clinics.