Kallas says EU preparing 'support mission' for Lebanese army, in favor of UNIFIL extension

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Thursday that the bloc is preparing a "support mission" to train and advise Lebanon’s army and security forces, though that won't replace U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon whose mandate expires at the end of the year.

Kallas said during a visit to Beirut that Lebanese authorities formally asked the EU for this. She added that she expects the mission to be set up by EU foreign ministers on Monday.

Lebanese officials have previously pushed to extend the mandate of the U.N. force known as UNIFIL, but extension seems unlikely to pass a vote at the U.N. Security Council.

After the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, much of southern Lebanon is now occupied by Israeli forces, and an agreement to transfer control from Israel to the Lebanese army has largely stalled. The exit of U.N. peacekeepers has raised concerns that Israel might extend its occupation and that the Iran-backed Hezbollah militants could exploit the security vacuum.

Kallas told AFP on Thursday that the bloc favored extending the mandate of United Nations peacekeepers in south Lebanon.

"Our member states have been saying that there can't be any security vacuum in southern Lebanon, so everybody is worried about the UNIFIL mandate ending," she said in an interview during a visit to Lebanon, adding that "it would be most welcomed if this mandate is extended, so that is the position of the member states."