By Hala Abbas*
BEIRUT. The Italian Bilateral Military Mission in Lebanon (MIBIL) was established in 2015 in response to regional instability stemming from the Syrian conflict.
Over its nearly decade-long mandate, the MIBIL has effectively conducted Security Force Assistance (SFA) activities, aiming at developing a sustainable force that should enable Lebanon’s defence against threats to stability and maintain security without international assistance.
This objective is particularly significant for a country that has endured a long history of systemic conflicts, hardships, wars, foreign occupations, and widespread infrastructure destruction.
Lebanon, a nation covering 10,452 square kilometers, stands as a testament to resilience. Despite a relentless series of multifaceted crises that have threatened the security of its people, the stability of the country, and its sovereignty—including the Civil War, the 2019 revolution, a prolonged economic and social collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic, the devastating Beirut port explosion, and most recently, the war of 2024—Lebanon continues to confront these challenges with remarkable strength.
Lebanon’s geopolitical and geographical location renders it highly vulnerable to recurring conflicts, while its multi-religious and multi-sectarian composition is a double-edged sword.
While it embodies diversity and unity, it simultaneously compromises internal stability and perpetuates the constant fear of civil strife—fears often exacerbated by international actors, as exemplified in the 1975–1990 Civil War.
A more recent example of this vulnerability is the September atrocious war, which erupted between Hezbollah and Israel.
The war of 2024 devastated the nation’s infrastructure, claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions, and shattered the dreams, heritage, and livelihoods of countless individuals. Homes, communities, families, and years of hard work were obliterated. The nation witnessed the destruction of its history, culture, and future before its very eyes.
Yet, despite these enduring heinousness, Lebanon continues to rise against all odds.
This remarkable resilience is rooted in the indomitable spirit of its people, their profound love for their heritage, and their collective sense of belonging to their vibrant homeland.
Lebanon’s ability to persevere has also been bolstered by robust international support, which has played over the years a significant role in its recovery and reconstruction efforts across various fronts.
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) remain the only trusted institution, neutral, and capable of ensuring the country’s sovereignty.
To overcome the ongoing deadlock, the LAF must expand their presence and exercise authority throughout Lebanese territory.
After years of debilitating crises, it is crucial to intensify all defence and security capacity building efforts to strengthen the LAF, transforming it into Lebanon’s sole guarantor of its security, safety, and stability. MIBIL has been one of the most important missions deployed since 2015, working closely with the LAF to achieve these objectives.
PRE-WAR: A DECADE-LONG COMMITMENT
SFA IMPERATIVES
MIBIL conducts Security Force Assistance activities aimed at building the capacity of Lebanon’s legitimate authorities, including the Lebanese Armed Forces, Internal Security Forces, DGSG[1], and DGSE[2]. These activities areguided by doctrinal principles that provide a framework for planning, conducting, and assessing SFA initiatives.
Key SFA imperatives are carefully considered by the MIBIL’s core team and personnel involved in the delivery ofSFA activities to ensure effectiveness and alignment with strategic objectives.
Since 2015, MIBIL has prioritized securing the support of the highest national oversight bodies and allocate adequate and sufficient resources to effectively plan and execute its SFA activities, thereby fostering long-term institutional development and stability through political primacy.
As part of its contribution to a comprehensive approach, MIBIL combines training and educational opportunities with allied armed force, including those of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. Additionally, it maintains strategic relationships with international organizations, governmental and non-governmental entities, local leaders, and business executives.
As MIBIL approaches the tenth year of its mandate, its effective implementation of Security Force Assistance activitiesin the country is grounded in a deep understanding of the cultural, social, operational, political, and geopolitical contexts. This, underpinned by the development and maintenance of trust with Lebanon’s legitimate authorities, and coupled with strong leadership, nurtures and strengthens the Host Nation commitment of actors at all levels. MIBIL’s in-depth understanding is promoted by the long-standing proximity between the two countries, marked by cultural affinities shared by their people, Italian influence in Lebanon’s education, architecture, and arts, consistent diplomatic and political relations and cooperation, economic collaboration, humanitarian aid particularly through NGOs and international organizations, as well as military and security cooperation, tourism, and deep-rooted historical ties. MIBIL’s efforts have garnered significant appreciation, not only from the Lebanese Armed Forces but also from the broader public. Its presence in Lebanon is deeply felt, with overwhelmingly positive feedback reflecting the gratitude and acknowledgment of its contributions.
The Lebanese people recognize MIBIL’s daily commitment to addressing their country’s extremely delicate circumstances, reinforcing its role as a trusted and valued partner in fostering stability and development. Strong leadership characterizes this effort, as the core team regularly meets with their counterpart to encourage decision-making and identify the best strategies to address the assessed gaps in their units.
Tutors and instructors, who lead by example, assist LAF personnel in reaching their highest potential through various E&T activities.
Drawing on Lebanon’s historical and contextual realities, MIBIL promotes Host Nation ownership by delivering tailored training courses designed based on gap analyses conducted with the Lebanese Armed Forces and Lebanese Security Forces, ensuring alignment with their specific needs, priorities, and fundamental security concerns.
In response to the Host Nation’s concerns, particularly amid critical circumstances stemming from the economic and financial challenges faced by the public sector, MIBIL, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to supporting the LAF and its broader community, launched a Healthcare Support initiative to address the acute shortage of healthcare personnel, particularly in the Emergency Department.
This shortage has raised significant safety concerns since military personnel and their families rely on the Central Military Hospital for medical care. Ensuring access to adequate healthcare is a critical priority and necessity for both the LAF institution and MIBIL. The Italian medical support team, accompanied by an interpreter, operates in the Emergency Room, providing care to eligible patients from across Lebanon.
While Lebanese doctors frequently assist the MIBIL team, their availability is not always guaranteed, leading to challenges in providing care, which occasionally hinders the effective delivery of healthcare.
The effects of SFA must be sustainable beyond MIBIL’s eventual departure from the Host Nation.
Therefore, the planning and implementation of SFA activities must account for Lebanon’s long-term capabilities, including a strategic review of the procurement of appropriate equipment.
Within this context, the broader framework of Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) plays a pivotal role. MIBIL actively contributes to sustainability through CIMIC by engaging in the strategic procurement and donation of essential medical equipment to enhance the LAF’s healthcare system.
Additionally, MIBIL extends its support to the local population through targeted donations across various sectors, such as agriculture, healthcare, education, and assistance for vulnerable groups. These initiatives not only address immediate humanitarian needs but also foster the long-term development of political, economic, and cultural relations. By pursuing these objectives, MIBIL acts as a catalyst for a successful and enduring partnership between Lebanon and Italy, promoting mutual growth and stability while reinforcing the foundation for sustained collaboration.
GOTEAM ACTIVITIES
Within the framework of GOTEAM[3] activities, MIBIL, through its core team, develops an Extensive Annual Training Plan aimed at ensuring a consistent footprint, strengthening and expanding its network of contacts, and systematically addressing the needs of the LAF and related institutions.
This process involves planning, preparing, supervising, and evaluating training and education programs, as well as commanding and overseeing Mobile Training Teams (MTTs) embedded within LAF units.
The courses tackle full spectrum of military operations, tactical and operational level courses, cover military and law enforcement fields. MIBIL ensures administrative and logistical support to these teams, monitors events and training activities, and reports all developments to its chain of command.
Since 2015, MIBIL has delivered over 350 courses, supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces, Internal Security Forces, DGSG, and DGSE. MIBIL has successfully trained approximately 8,000 soldiers.
This process is crucial in enhancing the deployment of the LAF, particularly in southern Lebanon, while strengthening its strategic, operational and tactical capacity.
AMIDST THE STORM
WAR FACTS
Israel and Hezbollah have been embroiled in a protracted conflict for several decades. In October 2023, this confrontation intensified into cross-border exchanges of missile and drone strikes, displacing tens of thousands of civilians on both sides of the frontier. A significant escalation occurred in September 2024, with attacks bringing both parties to the brink of a large-scale war, their first since the 34-day conflict in 2006.
According to Lebanese authorities, the hostilities have led to the loss of over 3,800 lives in Lebanon and the displacement of approximately one million individuals. These developments underscored the urgent need for a resolution, which culminated in a ceasefire agreement in November 2024, effectively ending 13 months of sustained conflict.
MIBIL OPERATIONAL RESPONSE
In August 2024, following the assassination of the Hamas political leader, MIBIL experienced a significant reduction and downsizing of its training and healthcare support activities.
The MTTs were recalled to Italy due to operational constraints. These conditions continued to deteriorate until mid-September, which marked the official escalation of the conflict. At that point, the possibility of redeploying the MTTs was definitively ruled out, as training activities were deemed unfeasible.
Despite these challenges, MIBIL successfully maintained its operations, demonstrating inherent flexibility and sustaining active communication and collaboration with all its partners. It also participated in the voluntary repatriation of Italian citizens from Beirut, organized by the Italian Embassy as part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ activities, ensuring their safe and orderly departure from the airport during the peak of the conflict.
During the suspension of training activities, the mission prioritized humanitarian assistance and continued its Civil-Military Cooperation initiatives, focusing on donations to address the urgent needs of the local population amidst an extremely severe crisis. This effort, highly appreciated by both the population and the authorities, involved the distribution of large quantities of food, medical kits, and other essential supplies.
By mid-November, the Italian Ministry of Defense authorized the resumption of the medical support initiative at Badaro Hospital, even before the official conclusion of the conflict.
THE CEASE-FIRE AGREEMENT
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah includes several critical provisions aimed at ensuring lasting stability in the region and reinforcing the principles of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.
The agreement mandates a cessation of land, air, and sea offensive actions by both parties, stipulating that only Lebanon’s official military and security forces, along with the United Nations peacekeeping contingent, are authorized to carry weapons, deploy troops, and operate within the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River.
Lebanese army and security forces will assume control of vacated positions, all borders, and crossing points.
The United States and France, along with several other NATO member countries, will work through the Military Technical Committee for Lebanon (MTC4L), in coordination with UNIFIL, to facilitate the deployment of 10,000 LAF personnel to southern Lebanon as swiftly as possible. The LAF are tasked with dismantling unauthorized weapons production facilities and confiscating unauthorized arms. Israel will commit to a phased withdrawal of its forces south of the Blue Line over a 60-day period, with a possible extension in case the conditions weren’t respected.
A Mechanism, hosted by UNIFIL, chaired by the United States, and including France, has been established to monitor the implementation of these measures and oversee their enforcement.
RENEWING HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
AFTER THE CEASE-FIRE AGREEMENT
MIBIL will continue to conduct a wide range of tactical and operational specialized training across the air, land, maritime, and amphibious domains in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces, including urban operations, sharpshooting and sniping, combative, reconnaissance and patrol, artillery, PSYOPS[4], CBRN[5], CIMIC, policing techniques, and counter-organized crime operations.
The Extensive Annual Training Plan for 2024–2025 comprises 71 courses, representing an increase from the 54 courses offered in the previous year.
This expansion underscores a sustained commitment to enhancing collaboration with the LAF and ISF, strengthening their defense capabilities to address threats to stability and security, and enabling them to independently maintain security without external assistance.
This focus on supporting the LAF is particularly crucial at this time and essential for promoting regional stability and security.
Alongside MIBIL, a new and independent coordination body, MTC4L, was established to enhance cooperation among various military entities involved in supporting Lebanon’s defense and security efforts.
Led by Italy, the mandate of the MTC4L is to oversee the preparation and recruitment of soldiers for deployment in southern Lebanon, with a particular focus on basic and foundational training, as well as capacity building.
Despite operating as two separate entities, MIBIL and MTC4L will collaborate closely, with MIBIL continuing to focus on its three core pillars: training through MTTs, healthcare support, and CIMIC activities.
In conclusion, the Italian Bilateral Military Mission in Lebanon continues to play a pivotal role in strengthening the path to peace and security in Lebanon.
Throu gh its unwavering commitment to supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces, MIBIL is laying the groundwork for long-term stability.
The collaboration with international partners, along with its multifaceted approach to training, operational support, and humanitarian efforts, demonstrates MIBIL’s critical role in reinforcing Lebanon’s resilience in the face of adversity.
As the country moves toward recovery, MIBIL’s continued support remains essential in fostering hope and ensuring a secure and stable future for Lebanon and the broader region.
NOTES
[1] Direction Générale de la Sûreté Générale.
[2] Direction Générale de la Sûreté de l’Etat Libanais.
[3] Generate, Organize, Train, Enable, Advise, Mentor.
[4] Psychological Operations.
[5] Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear.
*Interpreter since 2019 of the Italian Bilateral Military Mission in Lebanon (MIBIL)
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