Future of peacekeeping forces in Lebanon on President's agenda in talks with Meloni
Lebanon's peacekeeping forces were at the centre of discussions between Lebanese president Joseph Aoun and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday, as he concluded his two-day visit to Rome. Mr Aoun also met with his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, who holds a largely institutional and constitutional role. On a post on X, Mr Aoun declared he "thanked Prime Minister Meloni for the…
President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon engaged in discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni regarding the future of peacekeeping forces in the country. The talks, which occurred during Aoun's two-day visit to Rome, focused on various aspects of Lebanon's security and stability. The discussions also touched upon the ongoing Israeli attacks in the south of Lebanon and the need to pressure Israel to adhere to the framework agreement reached during the Lebanese-American-Israeli negotiations in Washington.
The Italian contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) is set to transition to a new force, backed by NATO, to take over Unifil's role upon the expiration of Unifil's mandate in December 2026. Italy, along with France and other EU nations, has warned that a premature withdrawal would create a security vacuum, as the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) are not equipped to fill the gap.
Israel maintains that it will only withdraw from southern Lebanon once Hezbollah is disarmed, despite ongoing daily Israeli strikes in the region.
Written by urgent.news from The National UAE's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
