International force in southern Lebanon remains distant as Europe hesitates to deploy troops

The deployment of an international force in southern Lebanon seems a distant goal, a European official familiar with the matter told i24NEWS on Monday.

Europe is reluctant to deploy troops to southern Lebanon after the withdrawal of UNIFIL peacekeepers at the end of the year.

According to the official, the main challenge right now is establishing a clear mechanism and protocol to monitor the ceasefire and process troop movements.

Only after these mechanisms are defined will it be possible to seriously discuss deploying soldiers on the ground.

The official emphasized that the parties are determined not to repeat the mistake made in Gaza. They are seeking clarity on the composition of international forces before defining their mandate, authority, and operational framework on the ground.

Amid these and other difficulties, a date for the next round of talks in Rome has not been set.

Despite the escalation in southern Lebanon in recent days, the European official said he remains relatively optimistic, noting that Europe remains engaged in the efforts and hopes to contribute to the implementation of the agreement.