Lead:
Gibran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, met President Joseph Aoun on 10 November and presented a proposal for a new international force to fill the security gap expected after the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL withdraws at year-end. Bassil called for the force to comprise only UN Security Council permanent members to ensure balanced treatment of Lebanon and Israel, while demanding Israeli withdrawal and Lebanese state monopoly on arms. The proposal reflects intensifying focus on southern security arrangements as the international presence phases out.
Details:
According to Al-Joumhouria and Al-Diyar, Bassil stated the Free Patriotic Movement has placed its proposal regarding the international force in the hands of the president. He called for immediate consultation with relevant states "to extract Lebanon from a state of waiting." Bassil emphasized that composing the force from permanent Security Council members would "guarantee balanced treatment in dealing with Lebanon and Israel," and asserted that such an arrangement "removes from Israel the pretext of protecting its territory."
Bassil grounded the proposal in state sovereignty, insisting that "sovereignty requires Israeli withdrawal and the commitment of the Lebanese state to the exclusivity of arms," while designating the establishment of a national security strategy as an internal Lebanese matter. He also called for Lebanon's neutrality in axis conflicts, framing this as essential to resolving the country's political and security crises.
The timing follows French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot's statement that G7 nations reached consensus on "the necessity of avoiding a security vacuum" in southern Lebanon after UNIFIL's planned withdrawal at year-end. According to Al-Joumhouria, Barrot said the group agreed on "the need to move forward rapidly toward a new security structure."
President Aoun separately met Army Commander Rudolph Heikel to discuss overall security conditions and the military's role in preserving stability and implementing state decisions. Al-Joumhouria noted the president acknowledged cooperation between the army and internal security forces in implementing security measures in Beirut to bolster capital security.
Watch For:
—Whether Aoun formally transmits Bassil's proposal to international partners and the response from permanent Security Council members to participating in such a force.
—Timing and mechanics of UNIFIL's withdrawal: the mandate expires 31 December 2026, and clarity on the transition process remains absent.
—Negotiation dynamics between Lebanon and Israel over any new arrangement, particularly given competing claims over the Shebaa Farms and contested maritime boundaries.