PARIS, France, Jan 25, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Lebanon will need some sort of international force after the withdrawal of the United Nations's Unifil mission scheduled for 2027, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said during a visit to Paris Saturday. The force would need a mix of observers and peacekeepers, largely because of a "history of hostility" with Israel, he added. UN peacekeepers current operate in southern Lebanon in cooperation with the Lebanese army, part of a ceasefire between Israel and the pro-Iranian Shiite movement Hezbollah in place since November 2024. While Israel was supposed to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, it has maintained them in five areas it considers strategic. The Lebanese army says it has completed the first phase, which calls for disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River.
