Lebanon

The Lebanese army has been ordered to confront any Israeli incursion on the country’s southern border, President Joseph Aoun announced on Thursday. The ramped-up rhetoric comes after an overnight attack in which Israeli soldiers crossed the border and entered a village, where they killed a municipal worker.

The United Nations and France have condemned Israeli fire near UN peacekeeping troops in southern Lebanon, after a weekend incident during which peacekeepers neutralised an Israeli reconnaissance drone. 

The U.N. Human Rights Chief called on Wednesday for renewed efforts to bring a permanent end to hostilities in Lebanon, as Israeli air strikes continue despite an agreed ceasefire.

 The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Friday called on the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to refrain from further strikes and fully withdraw from Lebanese territory after Israeli strikes endangered peacekeepers and civilians overnight. he strikes come amid an ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza and continued violations of Security Council resolution 1701 by both Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants.

The Lebanese military will begin implementing its plan to disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah, the government said on Friday following a cabinet meeting, amid opposition from the group and its allies. The cabinet discussed the plan on Friday despite a walkout by Shiite ministers in protest at the proposals.  

The United Nations said Wednesday that Israeli drones dropped four grenades near UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, with Israel insisting there was “no intentional fire” at the force. UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, called Tuesday’s incident “one of the most serious attacks” since a November ceasefire ended last year’s war between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The Security Council … extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), for a final time until 31 December 2026, and decided that it should start an orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal from that date.

On Monday, Israel signalled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the Lebanese armed forces took action to disarm Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah, while the Iran-backed group reiterated its refusal to lay down its weapons. Lebanon then stated that it would present a plan aimed at persuading Hezbollah to disarm, with Israel expected to submit a corresponding framework for its military withdrawal, top U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack.

Armed Palestinian groups based in Lebanon’s refugee camps are set to begin handing over their weapons to Lebanese authorities on Thursday, marking the start of a process agreed upon earlier this year. … The issue of weapons in Palestinian refugee camps has been a sensitive matter in Lebanon for decades. Many camps operate outside the full control of the Lebanese state, with armed factions maintaining their own security structures. 

France and its European partners are resisting Washington’s push to end the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon – UNIFIL – arguing its presence remains essential for stability along Israel’s northern border.