Particle.news
Download on the App Store
31 ARTICLES
·
4d ago

UN Security Council Sets Final UNIFIL Mandate Through 2026, Orders One-Year Withdrawal

The move shifts responsibility for security in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese army under a U.S.-backed push to wind down the mission.

Image
TOPSHOT - A convoy of Lebanese army military vehicles drive past a portrait of the late leader of Iran's Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, at a UN checkpoint manned by Ghanaian peacekeeping forces in the coastal southern Lebanese city of Tyre, 08 September 2006. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is tasked with enforcing a fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah militants, and supporting the Lebanese army as it takes up positions in southern Lebanon.
Shiite men hold up posters that read in Arabic: "America is the mother of terrorism", during a protest against Tom Barrack, U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, who was supposed to visit Tyre city in south Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Image

Overview

  • All 15 Council members approved a French-drafted resolution that extends UNIFIL for a final time to Dec. 31, 2026, then begins a yearlong orderly drawdown of roughly 10,800 personnel and equipment.
  • During the withdrawal year, UNIFIL is limited to protecting U.N. personnel, maintaining situational awareness near its sites, and supporting safe delivery of humanitarian aid within its capacities.
  • The text urges increased international financing and equipment for the Lebanese Armed Forces and calls on Israel to pull its troops from north of the U.N.-drawn Blue Line.
  • Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea said Washington will not back any further extensions, while Israel’s Ambassador Danny Danon argued the force failed to curb Hezbollah.
  • France, Italy and some Lebanese officials warned a rapid exit risks a security vacuum, as Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the added time to bolster state authority in the south.