The UN Security Council voted unanimously Thursday to terminate the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon at the end of 2026 after nearly five decades, bowing to demands from the United States and its close ally Israel.

Operations will stop at the end of 2026, despite concerns that shutting down UNIFIL too quickly could be a boon to Hezbollah.

Amid US pressure, vote extends peacekeeping mission but then calls for ‘orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal’.