🔻UNIFIL commander: Transferring duties to the Lebanese army and UN institutions before the forces’ withdrawal is vital

🔻UNIFIL commander: Transferring duties to the Lebanese army and UN institutions before the forces’ withdrawal is vital

The commander of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, says that before the start of the withdrawal of these forces at the end of the year, it must be ensured that the Lebanese army and other UN institutions can fully take over UNIFIL’s tasks.

General Diudato Abbonjara, the Italian commander of UNIFIL, told Reuters in southern Lebanon that the transfer of responsibilities should be carried out “very smoothly,” and that coordination with other UN institutions and the Lebanese army is already underway.

UNIFIL, which has operated in southern Lebanon for nearly 50 years, since the start of the renewed war between Israel and Hezbollah in March, has not only supervised the fighting, but also provided security escorts for aid convoys to a number of major cities in southern Lebanon that are home to largely Christian communities and are surrounded by Israeli forces.

The UN Security Council has ordered that UNIFIL begin its withdrawal at the end of 2026. The decision has raised concerns about the continuation of humanitarian aid deliveries and how UNIFIL positions would be handed over to the Lebanese army.

UNIFIL’s commander said the force is working with the UN team in Lebanon to continue aid delivery in areas under Israeli control and to transfer information about “sensitive areas” to the Lebanese army.

He also acknowledged that handing over some UNIFIL positions to the Lebanese army could be “very difficult,” because more than half of these positions are now located in areas under the control of Israeli forces.