While the Trump Administration had been considering using its veto power to prevent the extension of the UN mandate for the UNIFIL peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, the Security Council ultimately voted once again to extend the mandate through 2026.
At the same time, the US insisted this extension be the “final time” and that at the end of 2026, the UNIFIL would begin an orderly withdrawal from the area. France reportedly wanted the extension without the deadline, but then voted in favor after adding language about the orderly withdrawal.
Israel had pushed the US to end the mandate immediately, as they’ve often been criticized for attacks on the peacekeepers during their assorted invasions of Lebanon. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar praised the vote today, citing the end to the mandate, and Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon also cheered the decision, condemning UNIFIL as a failure.
UNIFIL peacekeepers have been in Lebanon since 1978 | Image from Picryl
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri also expressed support for the vote, not for its ending of the mandate but for its extension, as it was previously reported the US was planning to either end UNIFIL outright or use the extension vote as leverage to try to force new concessions out of the Lebanese government.
Israeli forces attacked UNIFIL personnel repeatedly during the 2024 invasion of Lebanon, and while the number of such incidents has dropped since the ceasefire went into effect in November, there are still incidents of Israeli forces firing on UNIFIL sites or shooting at peacekeepers when they’re near the border.
The language of the extension calls for the Lebanese military to have control over the entire south of the country after the UNIFIL leaves, and notably calls for Israeli occupation forces to withdraw from Lebanese territory. The ceasefire called for an end to the occupation as well, though Israeli troops remain at several sites in southern Lebanon.
