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The United Nations Security Council unanimously voted Thursday to extend the peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon through 2026 before terminating operations in what would mark the end of nearly five decades of international oversight along the volatile border.
The resolution extends the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon until December 2026, after which the mission's 10,800 military and civilian personnel will begin an "orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal" over the following year. The vote came days before the current mandate was set to expire Sunday.
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The decision reflects mounting pressure from the United States and Israel to end UNIFIL operations, with both countries arguing the mission has failed to adequately address security concerns posed by Hezbollah.
"This will be the last time the United States will support an extension of UNIFIL," acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea told the Security Council following the vote.
UNIFIL was established in 1978 to oversee Israeli troop withdrawals from southern Lebanon and expanded after the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war to help maintain a demilitarized buffer zone. The mission's mandate has been renewed annually for nearly 47 years.
The Trump administration has pushed for UNIFIL's termination since taking office in January and has already cut U.S. funding to the force. Israel has similarly called for an end to the mission, accusing peacekeepers of failing to prevent Hezbollah from establishing a military presence in southern Lebanon.
Israeli U.N. representative Danny Danon welcomed Thursday's vote, saying, "For a change, we have some good news coming from the U.N."
The resolution aims to transfer security responsibilities entirely to the Lebanese government in areas south of the U.N.-drawn Blue Line border with Israel. It also calls for Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanese territory, where they have maintained positions despite a November ceasefire agreement.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam praised the decision but emphasized the need for Israeli withdrawal. The resolution "reiterates the call for Israel to withdraw its forces from the five sites it continues to occupy, and affirms the necessity of extending state authority over all its territory," Salam said in a statement.
Throughout Israel's ground invasion of Lebanon, which began in October, the Israeli military has been accused of repeatedly attacking UNIFIL positions and injuring peacekeepers. Under the Rome Statute, deliberately targeting peacekeepers constitutes a war crime.
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti questioned how U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 could be implemented with Israeli forces remaining in Lebanon. The 2006 resolution calls for Hezbollah's withdrawal north of the Litani River, the group's disarmament, and complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
"The commitment of the Lebanese government is there, but how can they be deployed everywhere in the south if the (Israeli military) are still present in the south?" Tenenti said ahead of the vote.
The U.S. has been coordinating with Lebanon's government on plans to disarm Hezbollah, though the Iran-backed group has rejected such proposals, citing Israel's continued military presence in the country. Hezbollah did not immediately respond to Thursday's vote.
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