'It's family': Lebanese villagers dread looming UN peacekeeper pullout

From his shop in south Lebanon near the Israeli border, Mark Diab says life in his village will be turned upside down when a decades-long United Nations peacekeeping force pulls out next year. "UNIFIL isn't just business, to us it's family," said Diab, 59, whose sister is among residents of Ibl al-Saqi who have married peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon over the years. She now lives in Spain. "We're basically open because of the UN.

We started when I was young," Diab said from his shop, just down the road from a UNIFIL base, selling clothes along with other items including alcohol and headphones. The force's withdrawal will hurt the local economy and "will impact our relationships... and we'll lose security and stability," he said, as the sound of an explosion rang out in the distance. "I'm very sad they're leaving... We've spent a lifetime with them." UNIFIL has served as a buffer since Israel first invaded Lebanon in 1978.

It has become part of the fabric of south Lebanese villages like Ibl al-Saqi after decades spent monitoring border hostilities and supporting local communities, including with humanitarian assistance. But after pressure from Washington, the UN Security Council last year voted to end the force's mandate on December 31, 2026. In a narrow garden in Ibl al-Saqi called Norway Square, tattered Norwegian and Lebanese flags flew near plaques paying tribute to peacekeepers from the Scandinavian country whose arrival decades ago forged ties that run deep.

A street sign points to a town in Norway about 5,200 kilometres (more than 3,200 miles) away. Nearby, an Indian flag flew at Mahatma Gandhi Park close to a statue, posters and plaques set up by Indian peacekeepers. - 'Positive mark' - Ibl al-Saqi is located just outside an Israeli-declared "security zone" which runs around 10 kilometres deep in Lebanese territory along the border. It was established after the latest war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group erupted this year.

Israeli troops operate nearby, and locals advised AFP journalists to avoid southern parts of the otherwise quiet, peaceful village, nestled among hills covered in olive groves. From his municipal office near framed UNIFIL pictures and paraphernalia, mayor George Rahhal said the peacekeepers had brought stability and reassurance to villagers over years of conflict and uncertainty. "They've left a positive mark on everybody's hearts, firstly through security, then the economy, healthcare, supporting schools, the sick," said Rahhal, who like others in the village also has Norwegian citizenship and speaks the language.

"At some point the UN has to leave... but not in these circumstances." Lebanon has called for UNIFIL's mandate to be extended, fearing a security vacuum at a time when hostilities prevent the Lebanese army, whose resources are limited, from deploying across the country's south. Rahhal said many Ibl al-Saqi residents were UNIFIL employees or contractors. Almost "the entire community will be impacted" economically by the withdrawal, directly or indirectly, he said.

"We can live after the international force (leaves), but how and where and who will be responsible for us?" UNIFIL now counts about 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries. Spokesperson Kandice Ardiel told AFP it also "has around 400 national staff" and works with numerous local companies providing contracted services. - 'Stayed in our village' - Peacekeepers are stationed in many Israeli-occupied areas now off-limits to most Lebanese after the most recent war.

Many border villages have seen heavy destruction. More than 4,300 people have been killed in Lebanon since March, including seven peacekeepers caught in the crossfire. Israel still carries out strikes and demolitions despite a lull in hostilities since late June. Andrea Tenenti, who served as UNIFIL spokesperson for almost 20 years, told AFP that the force's presence "was not simply about maintaining peace and security". UNIFIL "has long been the second largest employer and economic contributor in southern Lebanon, after the Lebanese state", he said.

"Its economic footprint, however, extended far beyond its direct workforce," he added, with associated activities "supporting a much wider network of businesses and livelihoods". Its withdrawal "risks creating a significant vacuum... at a particularly critical time". At a workshop in Ibl al-Saqi, labourers supervised clattering embroidery machines sewing customised items including banners and tags for peacekeepers stationed nearby. Shelves were packed with colourful souvenirs and keepsakes for UNIFIL personnel -- the business's main market after Lebanon's economy collapsed in 2019.

Co-owner Khaled Nahra, 48, said the workshop had been running for some 25 years and had around a dozen employees, but would be forced to close when UNIFIL leaves. "We've stayed in our village... this was the best thing about working with the UN," he said. "There are people who've been working here for 15... 20 years. They're like me. They don't know what to do." lg/jsa