Aoun: Lebanon is committed to keeping UNIFIL

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix that Lebanon is committed to keeping UNIFIL in recognition of its role and the sacrifices of its personnel, saying that continued Israeli attacks and the occupation of southern villages make its presence critically important and that its withdrawal would create a security vacuum. Aoun expressed hope that the Security Council would respond to Lebanon's request to keep the force's operational mission for the coming year, while Lacroix described the situation on the ground in the south as complex, stressing that the United Nations remains able to play a role in supporting Lebanon's stability and restoring its full sovereignty, and that options for continuing the UN presence after UNIFIL's mandate ends remain under discussion.