# France and Italy propose multinational coalition to replace UNIFIL; Lebanon welcomes
> At their Antibes bilateral summit, Macron and Meloni announced plans to build a European-led force to take over from UNIFIL when its UN mandate expires December 31; President Aoun called it a sincere commitment to Lebanese sovereignty

**Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-06-26 · heads: 戦争はどう終わるのか, 誰が決めるのか · 4 takes · 4 lenses · 4 regions

## Summary

France and Italy announced plans to establish a multinational coalition to succeed UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, with President Macron making the joint statement alongside Prime Minister Meloni at the Antibes bilateral summit on June 26. The UN Security Council voted last August, under US pressure, to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026. Macron said the coalition would operate "in coordination with the EU and the United Nations to strengthen Lebanon's sovereignty and its armed forces." Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the initiative on June 27, calling it "a sincere expression of the international commitment to supporting Lebanon's sovereignty and stability." Hezbollah, which was not a party to the July 2026 Trilateral Framework Agreement, has not commented on the proposal.

## Why it matters

UNIFIL's December exit creates a security vacuum in southern Lebanon that neither the Lebanese Armed Forces nor the Trilateral Framework fully fills. A Franco-Italian-led replacement force would give Paris and Rome a direct security stake, but its viability depends on whether Hezbollah accepts its presence, a question neither government has answered.

## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens)

### Critical of US-led frameworks; foregrounds the UNIFIL-replacement power vacuum and EU sovereignty questions
- **Middle East Eye** (United Kingdom, en) — Reports Macron's announcement at the Antibes summit with Meloni and frames the proposal as an attempt by Paris and Rome to fill the vacuum left by the August 2025 UN Security Council vote to end UNIFIL on December 31. Asks whether the coalition can win Hezbollah's acquiescence.
  > "France and Italy propose coalition to replace UNIFIL in Lebanon."
  Source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/france-and-italy-propose-coalition-replace-unifil-lebanon

### Gulf Sunni bloc framing; emphasises Lebanese sovereignty and the LAF's expanded role
- **Arab News** (Saudi Arabia, en) — Leads with Aoun's formal statement welcoming France and Italy's initiative, quoting him calling it 'a sincere expression of the international commitment to supporting Lebanon's sovereignty and stability.' Notes that Aoun has requested the LAF be the primary beneficiary of any successor arrangement.
  > "Lebanon president welcomes French, Italian efforts to form coalition to succeed UNIFIL."
  Source: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2648655/middle-east

### Domestic Lebanese political audience; covers Lebanese Armed Forces capacity debate
- **Naharnet** (Lebanon, en) — Naharnet reports Aoun's statement and situates it within Lebanese domestic politics: the LAF sees a successor force as validation of its sovereignty claims over the south, while Hezbollah has not commented on the Franco-Italian proposal.
  > "Aoun welcomes French, Italian efforts to form coalition to succeed UNIFIL."
  Source: https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/320944-aoun-welcomes-french-italian-efforts-to-form-coalition-to-succeed-unifil

### Turkish strategic interest; Ankara is a UNIFIL contributor and has a voice in any successor arrangement
- **Daily Sabah** (Turkey, en) — Frames the Macron-Meloni announcement through Ankara's lens: Turkey contributes troops to UNIFIL and has not been invited to the Franco-Italian talks, raising questions about which countries will join the new coalition.
  > "France, Italy propose coalition to replace UNIFIL in Lebanon."
  Source: https://www.dailysabah.com/world/europe/france-italy-propose-coalition-to-replace-unifil-in-lebanon

## Across the graph
- Related: [[israel-lebanon-framework-deal-jun26]], [[lebanon-hezbollah-disarmament-standoff]], [[netanyahu-idf-stays-lebanon-syria-jun25]]
- Entities: France, Italy, Lebanon

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Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/ja/n/france-italy-post-unifil-coalition