Lebanon’s PM warns of looming peacekeeping ‘vacuum’

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called on the UN to “avert the vacuum” that could be left by the departure of peacekeeping troops. The mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) runs out at the end of the year, just as Lebanon finds itself in a renewed conflict with Israel. No agreement has yet been reached on what should replace it.
“What I wish to stress here and today is the need to avert the vacuum that Unifil’s withdrawal could create were it to take place without agreement on a new international force to replace it,” Mr Salam said.