By John Irish
PARIS, Sept 17 (Reuters) – European and Arab military chiefs will meet in Paris on Thursday to assess the Lebanese Armed Forces’ needs and discuss the looming end of a United Nations peacekeeping mission, amid fears of a renewed Israeli military campaign in southern Lebanon.
Israel and Lebanon have held several rounds of U.S.-brokered talks aimed at easing tensions along their border. But with elections in Israel and the United States approaching in the coming weeks, diplomats say a breakthrough is unlikely.
Thursday’s talks, which will initially be chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Jordan’s King Abdullah, are not formally part of Washington’s efforts.
The U.S. will be represented by a senior military official involved in Middle East security issues.
FRAMEWORK DEAL
As part of the U.S.-brokered talks, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a framework deal that envisions Israeli troops gradually withdrawing as Lebanese authorities disarm Hezbollah and deploy across the country’s south.
Officials in Paris will seek to assess the precise military and financial requirements ahead of a donor conference likely to be held in late 2026 or early 2027, diplomats said.
The most immediate concern is how to fill the security vacuum that could be left when the U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL, which has about 7,500 personnel, begins drawing down from January.
Despite Lebanon and France both favouring an extension of the U.N. mandate, neither the United States nor Israel has signalled support for prolonging the mission.
The officials in Paris will discuss options for a new international mission, backed by France and Italy, operating outside a U.N. mandate, as well as a possible European Union-led mission.
Both concepts would focus on training, equipment, intelligence sharing and mentoring support for the Lebanese Armed Forces.
“The modalities of this international or multinational action remain to be defined — if only because the Lebanese have not voiced requests that align with, in particular, U.S. demands at the Security Council, and because we still need to calibrate the terms of this presence and be absolutely clear about the mandate,” a French presidency official told reporters ahead of the meeting.
Highlighting the fragility of the situation, Israeli strikes on a town in southern Lebanon killed at least 13 people, including six children, on Monday, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, making it one of the deadliest days of Israeli bombardment in recent weeks.
Fears of a renewed Israeli military campaign are growing in Lebanon after days of escalating strikes despite a June ceasefire that was intended to halt fighting between the Israeli military and Hezbollah.
(Reporting by John IrishEditing by Rod Nickel and Richard Lough)
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