EU weighs military mission as UNIFIL mandate nears 2026 end

September 1, 2026 at 10:25 AM2 min

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The European Union is considering a military and civilian mission to advise and train Lebanese security forces as the UN peacekeeping mandate in southern Lebanon expires at the end of 2026. The proposal, circulated by the EU's diplomatic service, would focus on border and maritime security rather than replacing UNIFIL. The plan emerges as Lebanon remains under Israeli bombardment with 335,000 people displaced.

Key Facts

The UNIFIL mandate expires at the end of 2026, nearly 50 years after its creation on March 19, 1978.
The EEAS proposal calls for a three-year military and civilian mission to advise and train the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas questioned in May whether there is appetite for a new European mission to fully replace UNIFIL.
About 335,000 people remain displaced in Lebanon, with a fifth of its territory occupied and daily Israeli bombardment ongoing.

The EU Proposal

The European External Action Service has circulated a proposal for a three-year military and civilian mission to advise and train the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Internal Security Forces, including in border and maritime security. Officials said the mission is intended to strengthen the Lebanese state rather than replace the UN peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters in May that Europeans were willing to put together a mission to help the LAF, but questioned whether there was an appetite for an entirely new European mission to fully replace UNIFIL's mandate.

UNIFIL's Mandate and Limits

UNIFIL was created on March 19, 1978, days after Israel invaded southern Lebanon, and its mandate was expanded after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah under UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The force was given tasks of monitoring the ceasefire and supporting the LAF's deployment in the south, but was never given the power to enforce any of it. Raymond Murphy, a professor at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the University of Galway who served as a UN peacekeeper with UNIFIL, said a new European force would more likely monitor with sufficient capacity to use military force to protect itself and carry out its mandate.

Lebanon's Current Crisis

Lebanon remains under almost daily Israeli bombardment, with a fifth of its territory occupied and about 335,000 people still displaced. The situation is expected to be on the agenda during an EU defence and foreign ministers meeting in Ireland this week.