Germany Admiral sees Lebanon's navy well equipped for Unifil withdrawal
German naval admiral Stephan Plath is convinced that Lebanon will be able to protect its own coastline and prevent arms smuggling after the imminent departure of the UN mission Unifil. "I am very, very confident that the Lebanese navy will shoulder these tasks in the future, as it has already proven several times," said Plath in Beirut. He is the commander of Unifil's Maritime Task Force. The UN mission's mandate ends at the end of the year.
17.02.2026, 08:13
SDA
"I am already impressed by the performance profile we are seeing here," said Plath on the sidelines of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's visit to Lebanon. This impression has become even stronger in recent months. Because the Unifil units had been reduced, the Lebanese navy had had to take on more tasks.
German Navy involved with frigate
Since October 2006, the task of Unifil's Maritime Task Force has been to support the Lebanese Navy in monitoring the country's territorial waters, securing the coastline and preventing the illegal smuggling of weapons into Lebanon.
The German Navy is currently participating with the frigate "Sachsen-Anhalt". The warship with a crew of around 160 men and women will soon be replaced by the "Nordrhein-Westfalen" after around six months in the Mediterranean. It plans to be back in Wilhelmshaven at the beginning of March.
Support also for training the Lebanese Navy
The German side is also supporting the Lebanese navy with equipment and officer training. "We have had the opportunity not only to equip the Lebanese navy well, but also to bring the personnel far forward in terms of their own capabilities," said Fleet Admiral Plath on board the German frigate.
In Beirut, Federal President Steinmeier promised his Lebanese colleague Joseph Aoun that he would continue to help in the future. "For us, the end of the Unifil mission is not the end of our support for Lebanon," he emphasized.
