1. Home
2. Lebanon
3. Lebanon Sees Push for Foreign Troops in South Litani Region

Through Jean Yves Le Drian and the French military team in Lebanon, France has informed Lebanon’s political and military leadership that it is ready to take charge of an international force to be stationed south of the Litani River once UNIFIL pulls out at the end of 2026. The message added that Paris is working to rally backing for this initiative from other European countries as well as from the United States and Israel. However, the eventual scale and composition of the deployment in terms of personnel and equipment remain unclear and will hinge on developments south of the Litani in the coming months and on the broader situation in Lebanon, in particular the question of dismantling Hezbollah’s armed presence across the country.

Alongside France’s determination to maintain a presence on the ground in southern Lebanon, questions are emerging about whether Britain will also be involved in the region’s security arrangements.

As part of the British program supporting the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon, launched in 2024 and valued at £17 million, a series of forward operating bases are being established along the Lebanon-Israel border. Reports indicate that one of these bases has been set up in the Maroun al-Ras area and was inspected by British Minister Hamish Faulkner during his visit to Lebanon at the beginning of last month.

Notably, the Maroun al-Ras base includes a watchtower that is not equipped with cameras or binoculars, making it unlike the towers along Lebanon’s northern and eastern borders with Syria. These towers could later be fitted with surveillance equipment if a lasting security and political agreement is reached between Lebanon and Israel, under which foreign forces would be deployed south of the Litani River.

Meanwhile, according to reports, military discussions have taken place regarding the establishment of five forward operating bases alongside the five sites still under Israeli control. The plan foresees the Lebanese army being deployed at these bases, followed by the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied areas.

From a security perspective, these bases and their watchtowers, if fully established under a border security agreement, would provide the Lebanese army with the means to monitor the border with Israel from the Lebanese side. They would not be used to oversee Israeli territory, as Israel would not permit this and already possesses advanced technical capabilities to monitor both its own territory and parts of Lebanon. Lebanese sources emphasized that these bases and watchtowers, if implemented, would be under full Lebanese control, as is the case along the Lebanon-Syria border, where dozens of towers equipped with various surveillance technologies are used to monitor the border area.

The south of the Litani region will not be left without a foreign military presence to ensure the implementation of an agreement with Israel. These forces could also play a role in securing Israel’s cooperation in halting violations of Lebanese airspace. Discussions have recently emerged about the possibility of a multinational force overseeing all of Lebanon’s borderlands with Israel and Syria, as well as its maritime borders, in a way that reassures both Beirut and Tel Aviv.