The United Nations Security Council has voted to extend its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon for another 16 months but ordered it to conclude at the end of 2026, following pressure from Israel and the United States.
The unanimous decision on Thursday renews the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) ahead of its expiry on Sunday. The resolution stipulates that Unifil’s 10,800 troops will begin an “orderly and safe withdrawal” from December 2026, ending a presence that began in 1978.
Unifil was created to oversee Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon and now patrols the border area between the two countries. It has been tasked with monitoring violations of the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel and reporting them to the Lebanese army.
The resolution reaffirmed that the Lebanese government should become “the sole provider of security” in the south, while calling on Israel to withdraw from five sites it continues to occupy. Israel has carried out repeated airstrikes in Lebanon in breach of the ceasefire, claiming they are necessary to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its military capacity.
The US ambassador to the UN, Dorothy Shea, said the extension would be the last. “The United States notes that the first ‘i’ in Unifil stands for ‘interim’. The time has come for Unifil’s mission to end,” she told the council. Israel’s representative, Danny Danon, welcomed the outcome, describing it as “good news coming from the UN”.
Under the administration of Donald Trump, Washington has drawn closer to Israel’s position on Unifil. Israel has long criticised the mission for failing to disarm Hezbollah following the 2006 war and has repeatedly called for its dismantling. Unifil troops were targeted during that conflict, and patrols in the south have also faced harassment from Hezbollah supporters.
Lebanon’s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, praised the renewal, saying it “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”.
However, France and Italy voiced objections to the mission’s planned conclusion, warning it could undermine the Lebanese army’s ability to assert control in the region.
The Lebanese army is expected to present a plan next week to disarm Hezbollah gradually, seeking to avoid confrontation with the group while maintaining internal stability.
