Israeli, Lebanese and US military officials meet in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, October 20, Lebanon's president says, as the clock runs down on UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force that has patrolled southern Lebanon since 1978. Its mandate ends on December 31, and no successor has been agreed.
Meanwhile, Israel still occupies parts of southern Lebanon, despite a June framework agreement calling for a gradual withdrawal.
What is the Tampa meeting?
President Joseph Aoun said a Lebanese military delegation would attend US-backed trilateral talks with Israeli and American representatives in Tampa, home of US Central Command, Anadolu Agency and AFP reported.
Aoun says Israel "has not complied with the provisions of the framework agreement" reached in June.
When does UNIFIL end?
| Created | March 19, 1978 |
| Expanded | 2006, under Resolution 1701 |
| Decision to end | August 28, 2025 (Resolution 2790) |
| Mandate expires | December 31, 2026 |
| Withdrawal | During 2027 |
| Troops today | About 7,500 from 46–47 countries |
| Personnel killed since 1978 | 340+ |
What happens after UNIFIL leaves?
That is the problem. UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said last week that "no decision has been made so far about what kind of U.N. presence, if anything, after UNIFIL," the AP reported. He expects Security Council negotiations to start soon.
The options on the table:
- A multinational force led by France and Italy, first proposed in June
- An EU training mission for the Lebanese army, already set up, though it will not patrol the border
- UNTSO, a small unarmed UN observer group that will stay
Aoun has asked for UNIFIL to be extended and says Lebanon "welcomes any arrangement that ensures an international presence in the south." On Friday he asked France for help preventing a security vacuum.
What questions remain unanswered?
Lacroix has listed several:
- Who will escort aid convoys and help civilians living inside the Israeli-occupied zone?
- Who will provide the liaison between Israeli and Lebanese troops that peacekeepers now provide to prevent accidental clashes?
- Can unarmed observers work safely without armed protection?
Why is southern Lebanon so tense?
Hezbollah rejoined fighting with Israel in March, during the wider war with Iran, and Israeli forces moved into southern Lebanon. UNIFIL itself has been caught in the crossfire. Indonesian and French peacekeepers were killed in separate incidents this spring.
Israeli airstrikes have slowed but not stopped, AFP reported. Read where the wider Iran war stands.
What to watch
The Tampa outcome. Any timetable for an Israeli pullout would be the most significant step since June.
The Security Council. Talks on a post-UNIFIL presence need to conclude before December 31.
Israel's election. Israelis vote on October 27, and the next government will decide how quickly, if at all, troops leave southern Lebanon.
