German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, has proposed deploying an European Union force in Lebanon after the U.N. peacekeeping mission’s mandate expires to prevent a security vacuum, Reuters reported.
We should examine within the European Union whether we can ensure that no security vacuum emerges through a European mandate following the UNIFIL mission, Wadephul told Germany’s RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland.
UNIFIL’s mandate is due to end on Dec. 31, 2026. Germany’s parliament recently extended the country’s participation in the mission for the final time.
Wadephul described Lebanon, under what he called a stable government, as one of the region’s most promising developments.