UN Security Council

US Pushes for Strategic Shift in UNIFIL's Mandate as Tensions Rise over Its Renewal

As the deadline for renewing the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's (UNIFIL) mandate approaches on August 31, 2025, significant tensions are emerging within the UN Security Council. A scheduled vote has been canceled, and diplomatic efforts are intensifying to address ongoing disagreements, particularly centered on the United States' ...

UN Security Council to Vote on Embattled Lebanon Peacekeepers

While some reports suggested that the UN Security Council would postpone the vote on a draft resolution to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until August 29, Agence France-Presse reported that the Council will in fact vote on the text today. The Council will vote on a French-drafted compromise that would ...

Burj al-Barajneh Disarmed… What’s Next?

On Thursday, August 21, the long-delayed disarmament of Lebanon’s Palestinian camps finally began. This milestone marks the first tangible step stemming from agreements reached last May between President Joseph Aoun and his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas. After decades of stalled efforts, the move immediately raises a pressing question: ...

UNIFIL Mandate Renewal Underway: Role Assessment and Downsizing

Deliberations are ongoing among the permanent members of the UN Security Council regarding the renewal of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate for another year. However, the debates remain centered between the United States and Israel on one hand, and France on the other. According to French diplomatic sources, “the renewal of ...

Residents Protest Against UNIFIL Patrol in Deir Siryan

On Wednesday, residents of Deir Siryan, close to Hezbollah, protested after a Finnish UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) patrol reportedly entered private olive groves without being accompanied by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). The incident comes ahead of a vote on the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, with the UN Security Council ...

Rajji: State Monopoly Over Arms “Irreversible”

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji affirmed Wednesday that the state’s monopoly over weapons is “irreversible,” stressing that the plan prepared by the army for this purpose will be submitted to the government in September. “The decision to place all weapons exclusively in the hands of state forces is a historic one taken by the government. ...

UNIFIL: Withdrawal or Extension? The Countdown Begins

Will UNIFIL’s presence in southern Lebanon be extended beyond August 31? The question is at the heart of diplomatic negotiations as the Security Council prepares to vote on August 25, while the mandate of the UN force expires at the end of the month. On Monday, the UN Security Council began debating a draft resolution presented by France to ...

Aoun Stresses Lebanon’s Commitment to Renewing UNIFIL's Mandate

A week ahead of U.N. talks on extending UNIFIL’s mandate, and with some Security Council members questioning the usefulness of renewing the peacekeepers’ mission, President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to maintaining the multinational force in the south “for as long as necessary” to fully implement UN Resolution ...

UN Debates Future Withdrawal of Lebanon Peacekeeping Force

The United Nations Security Council began to debate Monday a resolution drafted by France to extend the UN peacekeeping force in south Lebanon for a year with the ultimate aim to withdraw it. Israel and the United States have reportedly opposed the renewal of the force's mandate, and it was unclear if the draft text has backing from Washington, ...

Trump Administration Moves to Phase Out UNIFIL

The future of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon has become a point of tension between the United States and its European allies, raising implications for regional security. UNIFIL’s mandate, which expires at the end of August, requires renewal by the U.N. Security Council. According to an ABC News article published on August 17, Secretary of State ...

Differences Between Paris and Washington Over UNIFIL’s Mandate

Al-Jadeed TV revealed on Saturday differences between the United States and France over the renewal of the mandate of the UNIFIL force operating in southern Lebanon. Washington wants a one-year renewal, which would be the last, while Paris wants a renewal without specifying a duration. Political sources told the channel that meetings held in ...

I Could Have Told You… But You Already Know

When putting together an editorial, you spend a lot of time mulling things over before settling on what we in the business call an “angle.” But sometimes, there are so many angles, overlapping in every direction, that you end up going in… circles (I know, not the most mathematically precise image). I could have told you about Ahmad ...