UN says troop cuts won’t derail work with Lebanese army, commander says
As-salamu alaykum - quick update from Lebanon.
Gen. Diodato Abagnara, the commander of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, told President Joseph Aoun that planned reductions in peacekeeper numbers should not break the coordination or the support the UN provides to Lebanese troops in the south.
This came after Kandice Ardiel, a UNIFIL spokesperson, warned that a UN-mandated 25% global cut to peacekeeping operations would pose “significant challenges” for the mission here. Ardiel said hard choices are ahead and that the mission is still looking at how the drawdown will affect work on the ground, but they’re trying to limit disruption by working closely with Beirut and the countries that send troops.
UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army do regular joint patrols to monitor the ceasefire and to help enforce UN Resolution 1701, which was adopted after the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. That resolution aims to stop fighting, see Israeli forces withdraw, and get armed groups in the south disarmed.
The mission has been in southern Lebanon since 1978 and grew after the 2006 war to thousands of troops from many countries. Today UNIFIL’s tasks include watching the ceasefire, backing Lebanese Army deployments in the south, helping with some civilian medical and social services, and protecting humanitarian routes.
Ardiel also noted that Israeli troops on Lebanese soil limit the army’s ability to fully deploy. Since the Nov. 27, 2024 ceasefire, peacekeepers have found and reported over 340 weapons caches in the south to the Lebanese Army for removal.
The mission still faces local pushback: some supporters of Hezbollah object to searches of private property without army escorts, even though movement is supposed to be guaranteed.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the government is committed to rebuilding border areas damaged in last year’s fighting and helping residents return, though he admitted promised aid has been delayed. He said Lebanon will keep working with partners to hold an international conference to secure funds for reconstruction and safe returns.
Salam stressed the need for rule of law and national unity over sectarian division and repeated the government’s push to bring all weapons under state control - a stance that drew strong criticism from Hezbollah. In a worrying sign of tension, unknown people set fire to a large pro-army banner in the southern suburbs of Beirut near the road to the airport; nobody has claimed responsibility but the act drew widespread condemnation.
May Allah protect Lebanon and guide efforts toward peace and safety, insha'Allah.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/