The UN Security Council will vote on Thursday on a resolution that would end the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) operations on December 31, 2026, and, beginning on that date, launch a one-year orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal of personnel.
The process is to be carried out in close consultation with the Lebanese government and in coordination with troop- and police-contributing countries, with the secretary-general to keep the council regularly informed on developments.
The measure’s stated aim is to make the Lebanese government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon as UNIFIL draws down.
Israel and the United States have opposed automatically renewing UNIFIL’s mandate, arguing the force has failed to prevent Hezbollah infiltration and rearmament since its mission was expanded after the Second Lebanon War in 2006, according to a prior Jerusalem Post report, which revealed that UNIFIL has not directly confronted the organization over its weapons.
“Almost fifty years after UNIFIL’s creation, and nineteen years after its mandate was expanded following the Second Lebanon War, it is time to dissolve the force. Reality has shown that UNIFIL has failed in its mission and has not prevented Hezbollah’s buildup. The responsibility now lies with the Lebanese government,” Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon said.
<strong>US, Israel push for Lebanese army to disarm Hezbolla</strong>h
On Tuesday, US envoy Tom Barrack said that Lebanon plans to submit a proposal on Sunday, August 31, aimed at disarming Hezbollah.
This came following an announcement on Monday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that laid out the possibility of a phased IDF withdrawal from Lebanon, as well as a rolling back of air force strikes there, should Hezbollah agree to the Lebanese government’s order to disarm.