Ahead of UNIFIL exit, EU agrees new support mission for Lebanon
EUSM Lebanon is to advise and train the army and security forces, initially for three years. U.N. peacekeepers are due to leave the country at the end of December.
Symbolic image · Photo: Giorgio Montersino from Milan, Italy / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
EU foreign ministers agreed in Luxembourg on Monday to set up a new mission in Lebanon. The EU Support Mission in Lebanon (EUSM Lebanon) has an initial three-year mandate. A military component is to advise and train the Lebanese Armed Forces on border and maritime security, intelligence and counter-smuggling, while a civilian component will support the Internal Security Forces, including on cybercrime.
The move comes as the U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL prepares to withdraw by Dec. 31. The EU mission will not replace it but is to become the centrepiece of Europe's engagement. "Europe is invested in Lebanon's future," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, calling it a major update of security ties. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said Hezbollah's disarmament must go hand in hand with full respect for Lebanon's sovereignty.
Operational planning is to continue before the mission deploys; the EU gave no timeline. According to The National, France and Italy are also exploring a separate mission to help disarm Hezbollah, though no concrete plans exist yet.