Overview
- The visiting Security Council delegation urged all parties to honor the November 2024 cessation of hostilities and pushed for full implementation of Resolution 1701.
- UN officials said UNIFIL observed Israeli airstrikes in its area of operations and reported an attack on a peacekeeper vehicle near Bint Jbeil, calling both violations and demanding protection and investigations.
- Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun told the delegation his country does not seek war and sought international backing for the army’s plan to disarm non-state groups, with a first phase targeted for completion by year’s end.
- Delegates traveled to southern Lebanon, met senior officials and the army, and examined options for implementing Resolution 1701 after UNIFIL’s scheduled departure at the end of 2026.
- Civilian representatives from Lebanon and Israel plan to continue talks on December 19, while Hezbollah leaders reject disarmament and assert the group’s right to respond to Israeli actions.