The U.N. Security Council on Thursday unanimously extended the mandate of its peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon for what diplomats said would be the mission’s final year, a move welcomed by Beirut.
The mission, which has been running for almost five decades, is to end on Dec. 31, 2026, and then be wound up within a year.
The decision was taken by all 15 member states of the council in New York.
Since 1978, around 10,000 blue helmets from more than 40 countries have been securing the border between Israel and Lebanon as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The otherwise routine extension of the mandate met with resistance from Israel and the United States this year, with both pushing for an end to the mission.
