Guterres to Visit Lebanon Friday in Effort to Revive Resolution 1701

SadaNews - The newspaper "Al-Akhbar" reported that Lebanon has been informed that the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit the country next Friday for a three-day visit, as part of a UN effort to revive Resolution 1701.

Informed sources revealed that the agenda for the visit includes a series of high-level meetings with the country’s three presidents: President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun, Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in addition to a meeting with the Commander of the Army, General Rudolph Haikal.

Guterres will also visit the headquarters of the international forces operating in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and its sites in the south, and hold meetings with the directors of UN institutions in Lebanon to discuss their role in addressing the consequences of the war.

The Secretary-General is scheduled to hold a press conference on Saturday to announce the official UN position on the accelerating developments.

According to informed sources, the main issue on Guterres' agenda is the project to revive Resolution 1701 by promoting the issuance of a new resolution in the Security Council to establish an international force in southern Lebanon, in a counteraction to the recent resolution that ends the mandate of the international force at the end of this year.

This move comes at a time when the UN is relying on communications made by countries participating in the international force with Lebanese and Israeli parties, aiming to obtain approval for the international force's continued presence. In this context, sources dismiss the consideration of a proposal prepared by the UN's Resident Coordinator in Lebanon, Janine Plasschaert, for the continuation of a European force under international auspices.

The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2790 in August 2025, which stipulates the extension of UNIFIL's mandate for the last time until December 31, 2026, with a planned gradual and safe reduction of its personnel and withdrawal starting from that date.