Lebanon’s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, told United Nations (UN) secretary-general António Guterres on Monday that the country needs an international force under the UN umbrella in the south once the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expires, according to a statement from the premier’s office reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The statement said the presence should ‘ensure the continuation of the functions of monitoring, reporting and liaison’, help preserve stability and support extending the Lebanese state’s authority over all its territory. UNIFIL fields around 7,500 peacekeepers from 46 countries and its mandate ends on 31 December, after the Security Council decided last year, under US pressure, to end the mission created in 1978. Israel keeps troops in a self-declared ‘security zone’ about 10 kilometres deep inside south Lebanon, and President Joseph Aoun told AFP last week that extending UNIFIL’s mandate remains the best option; France and Italy want a multinational coalition to succeed it.