The Secretary-General of the United Nations stressed the “necessity” of maintaining a UN military presence in Lebanon after the end of the current peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) at the end of 2026, in a report he submitted Monday to the UN Security Council and seen by Agence France-Presse. The report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, was highly anticipated, especially after Lebanon was drawn into the war in the region. The report stated: “According to all the proposed options, the presence of UN military personnel to facilitate de-escalation, dialogue, liaison and coordination, and to support the Lebanese Armed Forces, will be necessary as a complement” to an enhanced political role for the UN representative in Lebanon. He continued, "The United Nations, as the temporary guardian of the Blue Line (the line that demarcates the actual border between Lebanon and Israel), will continue to play a vital role to monitor the Blue Line in an impartial manner and ensure its preservation." In the report he submitted at the request of the Security Council, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed three options, ranging from about 2,000 to more than 5,500 UN military personnel, to allow for monitoring the ceasefire and supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces. Guterres indicated that the option involving the deployment of the largest number of military personnel would allow monitoring with the "highest degree of credibility" of the 120-kilometre Blue Line. He pointed out that publishing the proposed minimum number would not allow "to fully monitor the Blue Line without the necessary technological capabilities."