Nearly half of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon’s (UNIFIL) approximately 50 positions and observation posts are now located in areas under Israeli military control or within range of Israeli fire, complicating plans to transfer responsibilities to the Lebanese Army ahead of the mission’s scheduled withdrawal at the end of 2026, Lebanese security sources told Erem News.

The sources said the situation had made a handover of UNIFIL positions to the Lebanese Army nearly impossible without direct negotiations under U.S. auspices.

Lebanon is seeking to persuade Western governments to support an alternative international presence, with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam working behind the scenes to advance one of the options proposed by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, according to the report.

Beirut’s preferred option is a smaller international observer mission comprising between 2,000 and 3,500 personnel, protected by a European security contingent. The force would operate north of the Litani River to avoid direct contact with Israeli positions, the sources said.

Separately, Italy and France are coordinating with 10 other European countries and Turkey on a proposed three-year mission to train and provide logistical support to the Lebanese Army.

The initiative would equip Lebanese troops with ground-based radar systems and short-range drones to compensate for the surveillance capabilities lost with the departure of UNIFIL’s observation towers, according to the sources.

Political analyst Michel Najm warned that UNIFIL’s withdrawal could leave southern Lebanon more exposed to Israeli military operations, including the destruction of infrastructure and frontline villages.

He said the absence of international observers could also weaken Lebanon’s ability to document Israeli attacks and submit evidence to the U.N. Security Council and other international organizations.

Najm further warned that the withdrawal could undermine the role of the Blue Line, established by the United Nations in 2000 to verify Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, and increase concerns that Israel could impose new lines of control or seize additional territory.

He said UNIFIL’s presence provided an important measure of international political and legal protection under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and related resolutions.

The mission’s departure would also have economic consequences for southern Lebanon, political analyst Tanyous Sabri al-Hajj told Erem News.

UNIFIL’s spending has supported local businesses across dozens of towns and villages, while its contracts have provided income for hundreds of small and medium-sized enterprises, he said.

The withdrawal would also put hundreds of jobs held by Lebanese translators, engineers, administrative staff and maintenance workers at risk, removing an important source of foreign-currency income for families already struggling with the country’s economic crisis.

Sabri al-Hajj added that the departure could bring an end to UNIFIL-backed development and humanitarian projects, including road construction, school and hospital improvements, water infrastructure, alternative energy initiatives and emergency medical assistance for border villages.

The U.N. Security Council has set December 31, 2026, as the date for ending UNIFIL’s operations following pressure from the United States and Israel, according to the report.