Can Europe fill vacuum left in Lebanon as UN peacekeeping force winds up?

With the nearly 50-year United Nations peacekeeping mandate in southern Lebanon set to expire at the end of 2026, proposals for a European Union mission to fill some part of the vacuum have attracted attention.Lebanon, still under almost daily Israeli bombardment with a fifth of its territory occupied and about 335,000 people still displaced, is expected to be on the agenda during an EU defence and foreign ministers meeting in Ireland this week.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Israel continues attacks on Syria, Lebanon despite US push for diplomacylist 2 of 4Is Iran war diplomacy ramping up, as Qatar, Oman, Pakistan officials visit?list 3 of 4Israeli strike kills ‘newlywed’ woman in south Lebanon, wounds otherslist 4 of 4Video: Israeli strike kills newlywed woman in south Lebanonend of listThe European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU’s diplomatic service, has circulated a proposal for a three-year military and civilian mission to advise and train the Lebanese armed forces (LAF) and the Internal Security Forces (ISF), Lebanon’s police, including in border and maritime security, an attempt, officials said, not to replace the UN peacekeeping force – known as UNIFIL...