Lebanon Demands Full Israeli Withdrawal at the UN as Fighting Continues
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2026.
Salam called for an end to occupation and full enforcement of the ceasefire, the agreement to stop fighting. "We want the war to end and we want the ceasefire [with Israel] consolidated," he said. He demanded withdrawal to Lebanon's internationally recognised border and the release of all Lebanese detainees. He said Lebanon had entered negotiations with Israel mediated by the United States and President Donald Trump to end the war and restore Lebanon's sovereignty. He pledged to oversee the disarmament of Hezbollah, the removal of its weapons, in exchange for Israel's eventual full withdrawal.
Fighting continued during the speech. Israeli forces carried out a large explosion near Taybeh and Deir Siryan in southern Lebanon on September 25. An Israeli air strike hit a valley between Froun and Ghandourieh and triggered a large fire. More than 60 towns in the south remain occupied by the Israeli army. Al Jazeera
Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon have killed at least 4,386 people and wounded 12,407 others since March 2, the start of the current Hezbollah-Israel war. Israeli forces have occupied up to 600 sq km of Lebanese territory up to the Litani River since that date. Al Jazeera
A U.S.-brokered framework agreement reached in June provides for gradual Israeli withdrawal and deployment of the Lebanese army in vacated areas. Salam linked his pledge to oversee Hezbollah disarmament to Israel's eventual full withdrawal.
Salam spoke at the General Debate of the 81st Session of the General Assembly, listed by the United Nations as President of the Council of Ministers. "No one speaks on behalf of Lebanon," he said, asserting the authority of the Lebanese state. His address was part of a September 25 sequence that also included leaders from Iraq and Pakistan. UN News
The speech also addressed the peacekeeping transition. Lebanon has warned that withdrawal of peacekeeping troops risks creating a vacuum and has called for peacekeepers to replace the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL. The Security Council has ordered UNIFIL to begin withdrawing at the end of 2026. The force has been in place since 1978, its mandate will end in 2026 and it will withdraw in 2027. House of Commons Library
Israel opposes extending UNIFIL's mandate beyond December 31 and insists the Lebanese Armed Forces should assume border security after its departure. Proposals have circulated to keep more than 5,000 international troops in the south after UNIFIL's departure, a suggestion that drew surprise from Israel's U.N. envoy Danny Danon. The U.N. peacekeeping chief in Lebanon has said a smooth transition is critical before the pullout.
Israeli artillery shelling injured two people in southern Lebanon on September 18, as Israeli troops advanced toward border towns and clashed with Lebanese soldiers.
The broader context here is a negotiation conducted under fire. Beirut is offering a step-by-step exchange, state control of all weapons for full return of territory, while Washington provides the mediation structure. The test is timing. If withdrawals stall, disarmament loses political cover at home. If disarmament stalls, withdrawals lose their rationale for Israel. The UNIFIL exit sharpens that dilemma by removing a buffer, however limited, that separated the sides. What Salam sought in New York was to lock both tracks into multilateral commitment before that gap arrives.
