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The U.N. Security Council on Monday unanimously approved a six-month extension of the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights, pushing it through June 30, 2026.
The 15-member council adopted the resolution, jointly submitted by the United States and Russia, calling on the parties to fully comply with the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement.
The text stressed the need to ensure UNDOF can carry out its duties without obstruction and urged an end to all activities that endanger U.N. peacekeepers.
The council also called on all groups other than UNDOF to vacate U.N. positions and return any vehicles, weapons and equipment belonging to the mission.
Speaking after the vote, Syria’s permanent representative to the U.N., Ibrahim Olabi, said Israel continues to violate bilateral agreements and U.N. resolutions, arguing that Israel is expanding its occupation in southern Syria in breach of Security Council decisions.
Olabi said Syria remains committed to its international obligations while being subjected to Israeli attacks and occupation, and expressed hope that U.N. personnel in the area would not be harmed amid what he described as Israel’s “recklessness” on the ground.
Israel has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967.
The 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria established a buffer zone and demilitarized areas, monitored by UNDOF.
The agreement, signed on May 31, 1974 with the participation of U.N. representatives as well as U.S. and former Soviet observers, called on both sides to halt all military actions and respect the ceasefire on land, sea and air.
UNDOF’s mandate was last extended by the Security Council on June 30, 2025, also for a six-month period.
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