About 1,000 Ghanaian soldiers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) could be withdrawn from southern Lebanon when the mission’s mandate expires on December 31, 2026, Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, His Excellency Roey Gilad, has said.
Ambassador Gilad who was interacting with journalists at the Israeli Embassy in Accra recently said Ghana’s contingent forms part of the approximately 10,000-strong UNIFIL force deployed along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.
According to him, about 1,000 of the peacekeepers are Ghanaian soldiers operating under the Ghanaian battalion and command structure.
“Ghana, until now, has a battalion in south Lebanon as part of UNIFIL,” he said, adding that the Ghanaian contingent had performed seriously during its deployment. He noted that the mission’s mandate was due to end on December 31, 2026, after which UNIFIL would have to evacuate the area.
The Israeli envoy, however, criticised the overall performance of the UN peacekeeping force, arguing that it had failed to effectively deal with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
“The Ghanaian battalion was very serious, but overall the UNIFIL command did not always deliver the goods,” Ambassador Gilad said.
He argued that the responsibility for securing southern Lebanon should increasingly be assumed by the Lebanese Armed Forces, with Israel maintaining that it was prepared to work alongside the Lebanese government against Hezbollah.
Israel opposes extension
Responding to a question on whether Israel would support an extension of UNIFIL’s mandate beyond December 31, Ambassador Gilad said his country was opposed to such a move. “No, we are against it,” he stated.
He disclosed, however, that some European countries, including France and Italy, were exploring the possibility of deploying another international force to replace UNIFIL. According to him, discussions were still ongoing and no final decision had been taken.
“There is a European effort to send a new international force that will replace UNIFIL. I don’t know what will be agreed eventually,” he said.
Israel’s position, he stressed, was that international forces should withdraw and allow the Lebanese army to take greater responsibility for securing the border area, with Israel playing a supporting role.
Hezbollah and southern Lebanon
The Ambassador maintained that Israel’s principal concern was not with the Lebanese state but with Hezbollah, which he described as a threat operating from Lebanese territory.
He said Israel was currently holding positions in parts of southern Lebanon and would be prepared to withdraw to the international border if Hezbollah was disarmed.
According to Ambassador Gilad, the Israeli government was working with the Lebanese authorities to enable the Lebanese Armed Forces to assume control of areas previously contested or influenced by Hezbollah.
He explained that Israel had begun releasing what he described as “pilot areas” for the Lebanese army to control, with the possibility of transferring additional areas if the Lebanese forces were able to establish effective control.
The Ambassador said Israel believed the Lebanese government also had an interest in reducing Hezbollah’s influence.
Turning to Ghana’s foreign policy, Ambassador Gilad called on Accra to join what he described as international efforts to pressure Iran to stop interfering in and destabilising the Middle East.
He argued that Ghana’s diplomatic relations with Iran, as well as its close ties with countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, placed it in a position to contribute to diplomatic pressure.
“We believe that Ghana, which has diplomatic relations with Iran, has to be part of the international pressure which is being built around Iran,” he said.
He alleged that Iran was supporting Hezbollah and other armed groups in the region and called for greater international pressure on Tehran.
The Ambassador’s comments come amid continuing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty over the future security arrangements along the Israel-Lebanon border, where Ghanaian troops have served for years as part of UN peacekeeping operations.
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