Efforts to change the mandate of UNIFIL observer force in Southern Lebanon have failed, and the UN has renewed the mandate more or less as it was already operating. The lone change was a symbolic reduction to maximum troop levels from 15,000 to 13,000.
Israel wanted the UNIFIL mandate changed to make it a force to fight against Hezbollah. The US demanded Israel get its way, and threatened to cancel the mandate outright if the UN didn’t do so. Lebanon objected to this, and no such changes were added to the mandate.
The US threats of canceling the mandate didn’t happen, either. Instead, the US insisted on the 15,000 to 13,000 cut. This was meaningless at any rate, because only 10,500 UNIFIL troops are deployed at this point anyhow, and there was no expectation to approach the old cap.
The mission is being given access to tunnels discovered along the Blue Line, which is one changed, but it is not being authorized to pick fights with Hezbollah.
To fight Hezbollah is to fight one third of Lebanese population. And more. After Netanyahu expressed approval of. ISIS black flag flying over Damascus — most Christians and Sunni of Lebanon saw the light. They saw the awful crimes committed by those for hire “religious” Moslems killing Christians with not a word of concern coming from Tel Aviv. They saw Sunni being murdered just to force them to pay up to ISIS thugs. What Shia of Lebanon learned long time ago —Christians and Sunni learned only through tragedy of Syria.
Sure, there are those in Lebanon that still believe in the good old times when Lebanon was rich and aspired to be an European town. And may believe that going back to being French colony is the path to salvation, path away from Middle East problems.
Majority know that there is no escaping geography, no escaping Israel designs on their land.
Hezbollah no longer means Shia. Today it means Lebanese people. But in Israel it matters nothing — they want the Lebanese land, and they have a demon called Hezbollah, and American politicians tripping over each other to condemn the demon and please Israel.
Thanks for writing this and sharing your knowledge about the region.