Germany wants the European Union to send a military force to southern Lebanon to replace the United Nations peacekeepers who are scheduled to leave at the end of 2026.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Friday that Berlin wants the EU to look into filling the gap once the UN mission ends. "We should examine in the EU whether we can ensure that no security vacuum arises with a European mandate following the UNIFIL mission," he said in an interview first reported by RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) and later covered by Al Jazeera, Die Zeit, and n-tv.

Wadephul said the EU force would have two jobs: help Israeli forces withdraw from southern Lebanon, and stop Hezbollah — an armed political and militant group backed by Iran — from rebuilding its military presence in the area. He said the force is needed to prevent Hezbollah from "returning with its terror."

The UN Security Council voted in 2025 to end the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, which has lasted 48 years. The United States pushed for the decision, agreeing with Israel that the mission was no longer working. The mandate runs out at the end of 2026 Al Jazeera.

What the UN Mission Does

The current force, called UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), was created in 1978 after Israel first invaded Lebanon. It operates in an area south of the Litani River, near the Israel-Lebanon border. Its job is to keep the peace between Israel and Hezbollah and to support the Lebanese military in maintaining security.

The mission has been controversial for years. Israel says the peacekeepers have failed to stop Hezbollah from building up weapons and military sites in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah and its allies in Lebanon have sometimes accused the mission of going beyond its assigned role. The US sided with Israel, arguing that the UN framework was no longer effective.

Why the Switch from UN to EU Matters

Think of it like a neighborhood watch switching from being organized by a city-wide council to being run by a smaller group of neighbors. The current force operates under the United Nations, which means it is authorized by the UN Security Council and includes troops from many different countries. An EU mission would be authorized by the European Union itself, with its own rules, its own commanders, and troops from EU member countries.

This change would give Germany and other European countries more control over how the mission is run. But it also means the mission would no longer have the broad international backing that comes with a UN stamp of approval.

Two Big Problems

The proposal faces at least two major challenges. First, EU countries have often disagreed about getting involved in the Middle East, and some governments may not want to send their soldiers into a dangerous area where Hezbollah operates. Second, any replacement force would need the Lebanese government to agree to it — and Lebanon has not responded publicly. Hezbollah is part of Lebanon's government, which makes it hard to imagine Beirut agreeing to a mission designed specifically to block Hezbollah from rearming.

Wadephul's choice of words — "examine in the EU" — suggests Germany is raising the idea for discussion rather than presenting a finished plan. No timeline has been set for EU talks. But the clock is ticking: UNIFIL's mandate expires at the end of 2026, and without a replacement, international peacekeepers would simply leave with nothing taking their place.

The broader context here is that Western countries are rethinking how they manage security along the Israel-Lebanon border. Moving from a UN mission to a European one reflects real frustration that UNIFIL could not stop Hezbollah from building up its military power. But it also shifts the risk. A European force without a UN mandate would not have the same international legitimacy, and European troops could end up in direct conflict with Hezbollah — and by extension, Iran. Whether EU countries are willing to accept that level of danger is the question Germany has now put on the table.