UN delays vote on Lebanese peacekeeping mission
The United Nations Security Council has delayed a vote on the future of its peacekeeping operation in South Lebanon, The National via AFP reported on August 25th.
The council delayed the vote on a France-drafted proposal to keep the UN interim force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) deployed for another year, whilst laying the foundations for its ultimate withdrawal.
UNIFIL were first deployed in 1978 to operate a buffer zone on the border between Lebanon and Israel.
Originally, UN diplomats expected the vote would be as early as August 25th, however, the voting is now expected to take place on August 29th.
US officials – who hold a veto power over the UN Security Council – have suggested the draft did not meet their red lines, preventing the amendment from advancing to an official vote.
In response to the rejection, France has amended its proposal to keep UNIFIL deployed until December 31st 2026 – with plans to begin the mission’s withdrawal in the autumn of that year.
US Envoy Tom Barrack, whilst visiting Beirut, told reporters on August 19th that his country would approve the draft. Barrack also expressed his disappointment over the extension of the mission stating it cost “a billion dollars a year.”
The UN hopes that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) will take over from UNIFIL in securing and stabilising Lebanon’s southern border.
The latest proposal seeks to “enhance support for the LAF’s redeployment south of the Litani River through United Nations mechanisms.”
The vote has coincided with a troubling time for relations between Lebanon and Israel – Israel has continued to deploy troops and carry out military strikes in the south of Lebanon, defying the terms of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah.
On August 25th, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced Israel was “ready to support” the Lebanese government in its plans to disarm Hezbollah.
The office continued by stating Israel would carry out a phased decrease of its military presence in Lebanon as a “reciprocal measure.”
UNIFIL’s current mandate expires on August 31st 2025.
The National via AFP, Maghrebi.org
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