Lebanon urges UN to reconsider 'premature' Unifil withdrawal

Lebanon has urged the United Nations to reconsider its plans to disband the Unifil peacekeeping mission, claiming that terminating the mission would be "premature" in light of recent developments. In an August 26 letter addressed to the UN Security Council, Lebanon's UN ambassador Ahmad Arafa stated that the security situation in Lebanon and the broader Middle East has changed significantly since March 2, prompting a reevaluation of the mission's termination.

Mr. Arafa emphasized that Lebanon is committed to fully implementing Security Council Resolution 1701 and the November 2024 cessation-of-hostilities agreement, as well as the US-Israel-Lebanon Trilateral Framework signed on June 26. These agreements were intended to advance the objectives of Resolution 1701, which provided the framework for ending the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Lebanon also challenged the existing UN planning for the period after Unifil, stating that the options outlined in a June 1 report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres may not reflect the new realities that have emerged since March. The Lebanese government argued that extending Unifil for a limited period would be the most practical option, citing its operational expertise and logistical infrastructure, as well as its acceptance by local communities and the Lebanese government.

Israel opposes efforts to maintain a large international force in southern Lebanon after the UN peacekeeping mission's mandate ends, insisting that the Lebanese army should take on the responsibility for securing the border. The UN Security Council voted in August 2025 to end the over 7,000-strong peacekeeping mission on December 31, 2026, following nearly five decades of operations.