UN extends Lebanon peacekeeping mission until 2026 before withdrawal
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The UN Security Council extended UNIFIL’s mandate in Lebanon until 2026, after which the peacekeeping force will begin a year-long withdrawal from the south.
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A French UN peacekeeper stands beside an armored vehicle at his base, waiting to move with his unit for a patrol along the Lebanese-Israeli border in Deir Kifa, southern Lebanon, Wednesday, August 20, 2025. (AP)
The United Nations Security Council unanimously voted on Thursday to extend the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until the end of 2026, after which the mission will begin a year-long “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal.”
UNIFIL, established in 1978, has long patrolled Lebanon’s southern border with the Israeli occupation, serving as a buffer force in an area marked by repeated tensions and confrontations.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam confirmed that UNIFIL's mandate has been renewed for one year and four months, with the peacekeeping mission set to begin a gradual and safe withdrawal starting at the end of 2026.
Lebanon calls for 'Israel' to respect UN resolutions
Salam explained that the decision “requests the Secretary-General to examine the available options for the future implementation of Resolution 1701 after UNIFIL’s withdrawal.”
He also stressed that the resolution “renews the call on Israel to withdraw its forces from the five Lebanese sites it continues to occupy,” in reference to areas that remain under Israeli control despite repeated international demands.
The Lebanese premier underlined that the decision “reaffirms the necessity of the state’s authority being extended over all of its territory in accordance with previous international resolutions and the Taif Agreement.”
Furthermore, Salam noted that the resolution “renews the call to activate the mechanism stipulated in the arrangements of the cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel.”
US said would support UNIFIL mandate extension
US envoy Tom Barrack had announced Tuesday that the United States will support extending the mandate of the UNIFIL peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon for one more year, despite ongoing diplomatic disagreements over the mission’s long-term future.
“The United States' position is we will extend for one year,” Barrack told reporters during a visit to Lebanon’s presidential palace, while also noting critically that the mission costs “a billion dollars a year.”
According to a draft resolution seen by AFP, the new proposal would extend the mission until December 31, 2026, and initiate a full withdrawal by the end of 2027. The text recommends starting an “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal” within one year of that date.
