Ireland is seeking support to retain the deployment of international troops in Lebanon following the decision to wind down the UN peacekeeping mission in the country.
On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved extending the Unifil mission until the end of 2026, after which it will begin a year-long withdrawal process.
The French proposal was approved 15-0 at a security council meeting in New York.
On Friday, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Simon Harris is to bring forward a plan to replace the UN mission with an EU-led international assistance mission designed to train up the Lebanese army.
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The Irish proposals will be based on previous military training missions undertaken by the EU in Mali, Bosnia and Ukraine. Ireland has contributed small numbers of troops to these missions.
The new training mission will likely be much smaller than the Unifil mission in Lebanon which has 10,000 personnel, including 348 Irish troops.
EU officials are worried about the capability of the Lebanese Army Forces (LAF) to take over the duties of Unifil after the withdrawal.
One of its tasks will be to disarm the Hizbullah militant group which has a strong power base in the south of the country.
Mr Harris’s proposal would see EU countries “work together in the coming months to train, equip and build up the capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces”.
He will raise the matter with EU foreign affairs and defence ministers on Friday during a two-day summit which is expected to be dominated by events in Ukraine and Gaza.
“Our Defence Forces participate in such missions in Bosnia, in the Mediterranean and in the [EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine], and we take particular pride in that mission as an expression of concrete EU support for Ukraine and its armed forces,” the Tánaiste said.
He said he wants to adapt the “excellent model” of the EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine to Lebanon. That mission has seen EU militaries, including the Defence Forces, train up thousands of Ukrainian troops in Germany and Poland.
Mr Harris said the Lebanon mission would take place under the EU’s Common Defence and Security Policy.
“I look forward to starting the conversation in the coming weeks.”
