What comes after UNIFIL? Lebanon weighs new options to monitor pilot zones

Report by Bassam Abou Zeid, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Lebanon has not abandoned its efforts to expand the pilot zones outlined in the framework agreement, despite the challenges surrounding the initiative’s success.

President Joseph Aoun and the Lebanese negotiating team are pushing in this direction, backing their position with progress on the detainee issue following talks held by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa. 

The talks also addressed the expansion of the pilot zones.

In this context, LBCI has learned of four proposals concerning a mechanism to verify the proper implementation of the pilot zones, particularly regarding the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River. 

Three proposals were put forward by Lebanon, while the fourth came from Washington.

The first proposal calls for repealing U.N. Security Council Resolution 2790, which ends UNIFIL’s mandate at the end of the year, and replacing it with a new resolution allowing the international force to remain south of the Litani River.

The second proposal calls for establishing a European force in coordination with the European Union to deploy in the area, with the question of whether it would operate under the EU or U.N. flag still under discussion.

The third proposal calls for the Lebanese government to sign memorandums of understanding with one or more countries, allowing their forces to deploy in Lebanon at the formal request of the Lebanese government. This would make the deployment a sovereign Lebanese decision.

The fourth proposal, according to the information, is American. It calls for the United States to lead the verification mechanism without deploying U.S. personnel on the ground. 

Instead, Lebanon and Israel would agree on a force to carry out the verification mission and submit reports to the U.S. According to the information, Israel has approved only Azerbaijan among the countries under consideration.

These proposals show that discussions are no longer focused solely on the fate of UNIFIL but have shifted toward finding an alternative or modified formula that would ensure a field presence capable of verifying the implementation of commitments south of the Litani River.

Whether through extending UNIFIL’s role, establishing a European force, or deploying troops from other countries through bilateral agreements, the main challenge remains finding a formula acceptable to both Lebanon and Israel, backed by the international community and capable of effectively carrying out the verification mission on the ground.