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BEIRUT: Gen. Diodato Abagnara, commander of the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, has reassured the nation’s president, Joseph Aoun, that planned cuts to peacekeeper forces will not compromise operational coordination or ongoing support for Lebanese troops deployed in the south of the country.

The assurance came during talks on Thursday, two days after Kandice Ardiel, a spokesperson for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, warned that a UN-mandated 25 percent global reduction of peacekeeping operations would create “significant challenges” for the long-running mission in Lebanon.

“The next phase will involve difficult decisions,” Ardiel said, noting concerns about the capacity of the mission to fulfill its mandate, despite efforts “to minimize disruption wherever possible” through coordination with Beirut and troop-contributing nations.

UNIFIL forces conduct daily joint patrols with the Lebanese Army to monitor compliance with UN Resolution 1701, and the ceasefire agreement in November last year between Israel and Hezbollah.

Resolution 1701 was adopted by the Security Council in 2006 with the aim of resolving the conflict that year between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other armed forces from the south of the country, and the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed groups.

“UNIFIL is still assessing the full impact of the global peacekeeping drawdown on our southern Lebanon operations, and we are under no illusions about the tough choices ahead,” Ardiel said.

“Our planning is nearly complete, and we understand these cuts will hamper our capacity to execute our full mandate.

“Through close collaboration with Lebanese officials and our troop-contributing nations, we will work to minimize operational disruption while maintaining our core mission objectives.”

UNIFIL was established in 1978 in response to an Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon, and has maintained a presence south of the Litani River ever since. In August, the Security Council extended the mandate of the mission “for a final time” through Dec. 31, 2026.

UNIFIL’s mandate evolved following Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the subsequent withdrawal of Israeli forces in 2000. Following the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, Resolution 1701 dramatically expanded the force to about 15,000 troops from more than 40 nations.

The mission now encompasses ceasefire monitoring, support for Lebanese Army deployments in the south of the country, civilian medical and social services, and efforts to secure humanitarian aid corridors.

While UNIFIL supports the implementation of Resolution 1701, which calls for a weapons-free zone between the Litani River and the Blue Line, the line set by the UN that separates Lebanon from Israel, Ardiel said that “Israeli troop presence on Lebanese soil constrains the army’s full deployment capabilities.”

Since the Nov. 27, 2024, ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, peacekeepers have identified more than 340 caches of weapons in southern Lebanon and reported them to the Lebanese army for disposal.

However, the mission faces persistent interference from Hezbollah sympathizers who object to private property searches without army escorts, despite mandated provisions guaranteeing freedom of movement.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said his government remains committed to the reconstruction of border areas devastated during the conflict last year between Israel and Hezbollah, and the return of residents who were forced to flee, though he acknowledged that the “expected aid has been delayed for reasons now well known.”

He continued: “We will persist in working with partners to convene an international conference to secure reconstruction financing and enable safe, sustainable returns.”

Salam emphasized Lebanon’s commitment to “its natural role in Arab and international circles based on national interest, the compass for all policies,” and called for “state logic and rule of law to prevail over sectarianism and division.”

He added that “only nations that accurately interpret regional shifts can protect their interests and security,” and reaffirmed his Cabinet’s stance on national reforms, including ongoing efforts to ensure that weapons in the country are brought exclusively under state control.

This position has drawn fierce criticism from Hezbollah, particularly after the government moved to disarm it and curtail provocative party activities in the capital. In an apparent escalation, unidentified individuals set fire late on Wednesday to a prominent “We are all with you” banner raised in support of the Lebanese army in the southern suburbs of Beirut on the road leading to the city’s airport.

The banner was part of a campaign of support launched last month after the decision to take action to disarm non-state organizations. While no one has claimed responsibility for torching the banner, the incident triggered widespread condemnation on social media and expressions of solidarity with the armed forces.