The United Nations Security Council will vote Monday on the future of the peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, which has faced opposition from the US and Israel.
The Council will consider a French-drafted compromise to keep the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed in 1978 to separate Israel and Lebanon, for another year while preparing for a gradual withdrawal.
According to the latest draft seen by AFP, the Council would express “its intention to work on a withdrawal of UNIFIL, aiming to make the Lebanese government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon.”
Following a truce that ended a recent conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, the Lebanese army has been deploying in the south and dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure.
Lebanon continues to face the challenge of disarming Hezbollah. This month, the cabinet tasked the army with drafting a plan to do so by year-end, but the Iran-backed group has resisted.
Under the truce, Israel was expected to fully withdraw from Lebanon, though it maintains forces in strategic areas and continues to carry out strikes across the country.
The proposed resolution would extend UNIFIL’s mandate until August 31, 2026.
It remains unclear whether Washington, which holds a veto on the Security Council, will accept the compromise. A State Department spokesperson previously told AFP that the US would not comment on Council deliberations.
The draft also condemns “incidents affecting UNIFIL premises and forces, injuring several peacekeepers,” referring to Israeli strikes on UN positions, though Israel is not explicitly named.
Ahead of the vote, a senior UN official warned that “eliminating UNIFIL’s capacity completely or abruptly would serve no one in the region,” stressing that a sudden withdrawal would be risky.
The official noted that UNIFIL has supported the deployment of 8,300 Lebanese troops to 120 locations, providing logistics, funds, fuel, and training support.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric last week called UNIFIL’s support for Lebanon’s army “critical,” adding that “we have always recognized UNIFIL as a stabilizing presence along the Blue Line.”
AFP
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