Lebanon’s PM stresses need to ‘avert vacuum’ if UN force leaves

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized during a UN General Assembly speech on Friday the necessity of averting a power vacuum should the UN peacekeeping mission, Unifil, withdraw from southern Lebanon without a suitable replacement. The UN Security Council recently decided to conclude Unifil's mandate in December following pressure from the United States.

Salam stressed this point in his address, saying, "We wish to stress here and today is the need to avert the vacuum that Unifil's withdrawal could create, were it to take place without agreement on a new international force to replace it." Currently, the mission comprises 7,500 peacekeepers from approximately 50 countries, stationed along the 120km Blue Line that serves as a de facto border between Lebanon and Israel.

In addition to advocating for Unifil's replacement, Salam reiterated the pressing need for Israel to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory and for the Lebanese government to assert sole control over weapons within the nation's borders. Notably, Hezbollah, supported by Iran, has thus far resisted disarmament. Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement in June under US mediation, aimed at progressively removing Israeli forces from Lebanon and disarming Hezbollah.

However, the implementation of this agreement has been impeded. The accord seeks to resolve a long-standing conflict between the two nations.