Following the UN Security Council’s decision to end its peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, Bishop César Essayan, Apostolic Vicar of Beirut, expresses concern over the effects of the decision while hoping for ‘a dignified peace’ in Ukraine and the Middle East.
By Stefano Leszczynski
According to the UN Security Council’s resolution, negotiated over two weeks primarily between the United States and France, UNIFIL—the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, created in 1978—must “begin an orderly disengagement and withdrawal from southern Lebanon starting December 31, 2026, over the course of one year,” all “with the goal of making the Lebanese government the sole guarantor of security in the south of the country.”
During this one-year transition, UNIFIL will be tasked with ensuring the safety and support of its personnel (just over 10,000 members) during the withdrawal. The mission, currently led by Italy, must also “contribute to the protection of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian assistance through civilian channels, within the limits of its capabilities.”
The resolution also calls on the Israeli government to withdraw south of the Blue Line, the de facto border between the two countries, “including the five positions it maintains on Lebanese territory”—a point on which Israel’s Foreign Ministry has made no comment.
Differing interpretations
The decision adopted by the United Nations Security Council was made unanimously on Thursday, August 28, when all 15 member states voted on the resolution. The text was strongly supported by the United States but softened from the original version, which had imposed stricter withdrawal timelines.
Initial international reactions to the announcement of the end of the longest-running mission in UN history (launched in 1978) are mixed, fueling a sense of uncertainty about the consequences of this decision.
A changing Middle Eastern context
“It’s interesting to read between the lines of what Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said,” notes Claudio Bertolotti, a research fellow at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), “as he somewhat flipped the prevailing interpretation of the end of the UNIFIL operation.”
In fact, President Aoun thanked the international community for extending the mission until December 31, 2026—not just for six months, as Israel had informally requested from the United States.
The emerging scenario opens up several possible outcomes for the future, but it clearly reflects ongoing changes in the Middle Eastern landscape.
“It was an experience that, despite some benefits, ultimately did not achieve its objectives,” Mr. Bertolotti continues, “particularly in preventing the area south of the Litani River from being used by Hezbollah to store weapons and equipment or to allow the free movement of its militants.”
Do not abandon Lebanon
The greatest fear for the Lebanese is that, without this international presence, the south of Lebanon will fall into darkness.
This concern is shared with Vatican News by the Apostolic Vicar of Beirut, Bishop César Essayan: “For the Lebanese, especially those in the south, the presence of UNIFIL is a source of reassurance. These are peacekeeping soldiers who have always tried to help people, even by calming moments of tension. If the international contingent is no longer there, the risk is that no one will know what’s happening in southern Lebanon anymore, opening the door for those who wish to abuse the land.”
“I don’t believe the decision to end the UNIFIL mission means abandoning Lebanon,” says Mr. Bertolotti. “I don’t think anyone wants to see another Afghanistan.”
Instead, says the ISPI analyst, there could be increased direct support for Lebanon, starting with the United States, followed by Israel. “The shared goal is to weaken political factions that enjoy military backing and organization, which could pose a threat to the Lebanese state itself.”
Hope for peace and stability
In this spirit, France seems to be stepping up its involvement, as highlighted in a meeting between President Macron, President Aoun, and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
“I reaffirmed,” President Macron said, “our determination to convene two conferences by the end of the year: the first to support the Lebanese Armed Forces, the cornerstone of the country’s sovereignty, and the second for Lebanon’s recovery and reconstruction.”
“Restored security, affirmed sovereignty, rebuilt prosperity”—these, he said, are to be the future pillars of the Land of the Cedars.
“Our hope,” concludes Bishop Essayan, “is that within a year, the world will find paths to peace, both in Europe and here in the Middle East. So if UNIFIL’s withdrawal means we are preparing for peace, that’s good. But let it be a dignified peace—not one based on erasing the other.”
