United Nations (EFE).- The United Nations Security Council unanimously voted on Wednesday to extend the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) until the end of 2026, when it will begin a phased withdrawal to be completed within one year.
Diplomatic sources told EFE that the decision was driven by pressure from the United States, which argued that the mission, one of the longest-running peacekeeping deployments since its creation in 1978, had fulfilled its mandate.
Lebanon had formally requested a one-year extension beyond Sep. 1, when the current mandate expires. The country expected further renewals.
However, Washington insisted the mission should wind down.
United States Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Shea, said the mandate was now considered complete as Beirut had tasked its armed forces to “bring all weapons under the control of the state by the end of this year,”in a reference to Hezbollah, the powerful militia long entrenched in southern Lebanon.
The resolution, negotiated primarily between the US and France, stipulates that UNIFIL must “begin an orderly drawdown and withdrawal between Dec. 31, 2026, and throughout the following year” to ensure that the Lebanese government becomes “the sole provider of security in the south.”
During the final year, UNIFIL, currently comprising more than 10,000 personnel, including nearly 700 Spanish troops, will focus on ensuring the safety of its personnel and facilitating humanitarian assistance.
The resolution also obliges Israel to pull back south of the Blue Line, the de facto border between the two countries, “including five positions it maintains inside Lebanese territory.”
Washington initially sought to shorten the final extension to end in Aug. 2026 but conceded four additional months after France and other Council members argued Beirut needed more time to prepare for UNIFIL’s exit.
Analysts say the US position reflects two key drivers: a push to reduce UN peacekeeping costs, consistent with policies advanced under Donald Trump’s administration, and longstanding Israeli complaints that UNIFIL has been too lenient toward Hezbollah.
“This is about ensuring that the Lebanese state, not armed militias, is the guarantor of security,” Shea said. EFE
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