The United States is exploring options for an international monitoring mechanism to oversee the implementation of security arrangements in southern Lebanon after the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ends its mandate, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday.

Speaking to reporters in Paris after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron, Rubio said Washington was considering a mechanism to verify that both Israel and Lebanon comply with their obligations under existing agreements, including arrangements for designated pilot zones.

“We need a verification system trusted by everyone and trusted by both sides that both sides are complying with their obligations under the agreements that are in place,” Rubio said.

Under the arrangements, Israeli forces are expected to withdraw from the pilot zones, which would then be taken over by the Lebanese Armed Forces. The aim is to prevent Hezbollah from returning to those areas and using them to launch attacks, Rubio said.

“One of the things that we’re working on from our perspective is finding the ability to monitor the implementation of the pilot zones,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be a military mission. It could be a civilian mission. We have some ideas.”

Rubio said he and Macron had discussed possible models for such a mechanism, but declined to provide details, describing the issue as sensitive and saying any arrangement would require the agreement of both Lebanon and Israel.

“We’re not prepared to sort of discuss it yet publicly,” he said. “But we discussed that process.”

Asked whether UNIFIL could take on the monitoring role, Rubio noted that the force’s mandate was expiring and said a new mechanism could replace it.

“Well, UNIFIL, as you know, is expiring, so something could replace it that could – that can be in that role,” he said. “But again, the details of that are still being worked on.”

The central objective, Rubio stressed, was to have a credible presence on the ground capable of verifying compliance with the agreements.

“The goal remains that we do need some credible group on the ground that can verify who is – who’s complying with what on these agreements,” he said.

Such a mechanism would not necessarily need to be military in nature, unlike UNIFIL, which has relied largely on military personnel. A civilian mission could also serve as an impartial verifier, Rubio said, adding that Washington had several ideas under consideration.

“It could be a civilian mission, but it’s a trusted verifier is what we’re searching for,” he said. “And we have some ideas about how to achieve it, and I think France could be helpful in that regard.”

The discussions come as international partners consider arrangements for southern Lebanon after UNIFIL’s mandate expires at the end of 2026.