Even after concessions from supporters of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, the Trump administration declined to green-light a revised U.N. Security Council resolution to extend the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon’s mandate.
Israel has long criticized UNIFIL, whose mandate expires on Aug. 31, and accused it of failing to contain Hezbollah’s military capabilities in south Lebanon. The Trump administration called the U.N. force an “abject failure” and clawed back tens of millions of dollars in funding.
The Jewish state has said UNIFIL ought to be discontinued immediately, but Washington is reportedly willing to support extending it, provided its new mandate provides a date when it will terminate operations.
France, which is leading the effort to extend UNIFIL’s mandate, drafted terms of a one-year renewal, noting that the Security Council “indicates its intention to work on a withdrawal for UNIFIL with the aim of making the Lebanese government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon.”
Washington rejected a revised draft from France on Friday. The new draft also called for a one-year extension of UNIFIL and stated that the U.N. force is “planning its withdrawal,” per a copy of the draft that JNS viewed. (As a permanent member of the Security Council, Washington has veto power.)
The revised draft calls on António Guterres, the U.N. secretary-general, to produce a strategic review within five months to “assess the conditions of a withdrawal of UNIFIL, with the objective that the drawdown of UNIFIL starts no later than Aug. 31, 2026.”
The review would also “explore options” after UNIFIL withdraws for implementation in the future of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for a permanent resolution to hostilities between Israel and Lebanon and insists that Hezbollah and other non-state actors disarm.
There is also to be a “restoration of Lebanese sovereignty throughout the country,” according to the draft that JNS viewed.
Lebanese forces would be redeployed, aided by United Nations “tools,” south of the Litani River, in an area which Hezbollah has controlled, according to the draft.
Washington is still willing to support a mandate extension but wants a phased withdrawal to begin immediately, a U.S. diplomatic source told JNS.
The Israeli government said on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “acknowledges the significant step taken” by the Lebanese government, noting the latter’s effort to disarm Hezbollah by year’s end is a “momentous decision” that “marks a crucial opportunity for Lebanon to reclaim its sovereignty and restore the authority of its state institutions, military and governance.”
“Israel stands ready to support Lebanon in its efforts to disarm Hezbollah and to work together towards a more secure and stable future for both nations,” including a “phased reduction of IDF presence” at strategic points in Lebanese territory, the prime minister’s office stated.
Netanyahu’s office did not mention UNIFIL nor its pending mandate expiration.
“UNIFIL and the United Nations in general are seen, especially by the Lebanese, as an impartial actor that can help ensure sustainability of any agreement,” a senior U.N. official, who is familiar with UNIFIL’s operations, told JNS.
Israel has long expressed mistrust of UNIFIL, but there is “a level of trust,” according to the senior U.N. official. “To completely lose it in this very sensitive transition period would be risky and would not really serve anybody’s interest.”
The senior U.N. official told JNS that the global body’s suggestion to the Security Council was “rather than putting a firm date, make it conditions-based, and we all work—not just the U.N. but the parties and international community—to meet these benchmarks, and then revisit the council and then decide if this is working once it’s implemented.”
The official cited “risks” with a hasty UNIFIL withdrawal due to several unknowns, including the unpredictability of a depleted Hezbollah and Iran, along with instability in Syria, which requires the attention of Lebanese forces.
It was unclear at press time when a vote might take place on whether to renew UNIFIL’s mandate.
