https://arab.news/rkan9
The UN Security Council on Thursday voted to renew the UN Interim Force in Lebanon’s mandate for the final time, ensuring it will be wound down from December 2026.
The future of UNIFIL, established nearly five decades ago by the UNSC, has been the subject of debate for some time. Formed in 1978 to monitor Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon, UNIFIL has played a significant role in supporting peace and security, while assisting the Lebanese government in restoring its authority. Since the start of the Gaza war, UNIFIL bases have been the target of Israeli forces on multiple occasions, while Tel Aviv, in parallel with its attacks, has been lobbying to end the mission’s mandate.
When Israel attacked a UNIFIL base last October, Turkiye stated that the force’s role was more important than ever, as Tel Aviv was trying to expand its war in the region. Turkiye has been contributing to UNIFIL since 2006, providing essential support for both land and naval operations. The Turkish parliament has annually renewed the mandate for the continued deployment of its troops within the mission.
UNIFIL is widely seen as an essential peacekeeping buffer between Israel, Lebanon and Hezbollah. While several Western countries, increasingly frustrated with Israel’s destabilizing actions in the region, have continued to support the mission, Israel has intensified its efforts to pressure the US — which has already raised doubts about UNIFIL’s cost-effectiveness and has reduced its funding — to close it down. Although some American officials, such as Tom Barrack, the ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy to Syria, have highlighted the mission’s importance, Washington agreed that the mandate should end.
