EU mulls boosting Lebanon's security forces
The European Union is exploring options to strengthen Lebanon's Internal Security Forces in order to allow the Lebanese army to focus on disarming the armed group Hezbollah, according to a document reviewed by Reuters on Monday.
A 2024 truce between Lebanon and Israel remains fragile, with Israel carrying out regular strikes on Lebanese territory that it says are targeting Hezbollah's efforts to rearm, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The document, produced by the EU's diplomatic arm and circulated to the 27 member states, said it would pursue consultations with Lebanese authorities and that a scoping mission would take place in early 2026 on possible new assistance for the country's Internal Security Forces.
EU efforts could "focus on advice, training and capacity-building," the paper said, adding that the bloc would not take over the tasks of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), whose mandate is set to expire at the end of 2026, when it is expected to begin a year-long drawdown and withdrawal.
Instead, the EU "could contribute to the gradual transfer of internal security tasks" from the Lebanese Armed Forces to the Internal Security Forces, allowing the army to focus on its core defence tasks, the document said.
The UN secretary-general is expected to produce a transition plan in June 2026 that will address risks stemming from UNIFIL's departure.
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