US pressures Lebanon: UNIFIL to work independently from Lebanese Army

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al-Akhbar newspaper
24 Aug 2023 14:29

As the UNIFIL mission nears its expiry date, the US, France, and their allies, seek to turn UNIFIL into an independent body unlinked to the Lebanese Armed Forces in favor of Israeli security.

A general view of a base of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at the border between Lebanon and occupied Palestine, in the southern village of Markaba, Friday, April 7, 2023 (AP)

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission is set to expire on August 31st, 2023, and as such the UN Security Council (UNSC) has begun discussions to renew the UNIFIL missions in Lebanon. However, the UNSC has been seeking to implement certain changes pertaining to the extent and limitations of the UNIFIL activities in Lebanon as those are bound, for now, by a certain agreement between Lebanon, through its Armed Forces, and the UNSC.

In a new report published by the Lebanese newspaper, Al-Akhbar, it was revealed that Lebanon's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Abdullah Bou Habib was two days late to join the UNSC meetings debating the decision to extend the UNIFIL mission on August 31st, and the framework anticipated the new era.

Lebanon delays engagement: 'cannot persuade the West'

While Bou Habib flew to join the council on Thursday morning, the Lebanese Diplomatic-Military delegation, set to conduct discussions, according to Al-Akhbar, aims to "coordinate with members of the Council, in particular the major Powers, to arrive at a formula suited to Lebanon's prerogatives in terms of the competence of the international forces."

The Lebanese authorities, according to the report, had not been keeping up with the military, political, and diplomatic movement of the US, France, and their allies, vis-a-vis the decision to extend UNIFIL. Only two months ago Lebanon began tracking such movements despite the fact that tensions at the southern Israeli withdrawal line have been mounting for several months.

The delay reminded the report and brought back memories of a similar incident that happened a year ago when Lebanon was also delayed in engaging in the extension talks resulting in the country playing "the role of recipient of the extension resolution," which was amended.

Al-Akhbar notes that last year, the amendments included granting the UNIFIL mission the "freedom of movement to their soldiers and vehicles without keeping pace with or taking authorization from the [Lebanese] army." In other words, UNIFIL will be able to move amidst local regions both announced and unannounced and independent of Lebanese Armed Forces convoys.

Al-Akhbar stressed that such actions made the Lebanese authorities appear to continue to be "prisoners of the same [old] policies that are based on the satisfaction of the major Powers, especially the United States."

According to Al-Akhbar, communications between Bou Habib and Lebanese Prime Miniter of the caretaker government Najib Mikati depicted great pessimism in Lebanon's ability to alter any of the already suggested and drafted amendments made by the US, France, and allies, during the past two months. As such, it appeared, Al-Akhbar underscored, that the most the two officials had hoped for was "a reference, albeit shy, to the importance of coordination between the international forces and the Lebanese Armed Forces."

The report noted that alongside Mikati and Bou Habib, a number of government and military officials either allied to the US or are considered in a way affiliated to it, have argued that "Lebanon cannot persuade the West." As a result, it added, there has been a clear crackdown amongst the negotiation military-diplomatic delegation at the UNSC given that those not close to the US argued that "Lebanon can work vigorously with Russian and Chinese support to achieve the goal."

Americo-Israeli goals embedded in extension clauses

Al-Akhbar also revealed, citing its sources, that the US has been exerting pressure on Lebanese officials to adhere to the new French draft of the extension of the UNIFIL.

On Monday, August 21, Washington's Security Council delegate, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, opened her statement at the UNSC with a discussion of events in Occupied Palestine, condemning the operations carried out by the Resistance as it aims to liberate the country from Israeli occupation.

The delegate then connects the events and Israeli security concerns with Lebanese events and the new French draft for the UNIFIL extension.

Thomas-Greenfield said "The United States also remains deeply concerned by Hezbollah’s provocative actions along the blue line. This represents an increasing threat to Lebanon’s peace and security, as well as Israel’s," adding that "We [US] are committed to extending a robust UNIFIL Mission that can perform its duties independent of the Lebanese Armed Forces."

In this statement for Thomas-Greefield, the US has integrated and linked the renewal of UNIFIL with the "freedom of movement clause". Al-Akhbar highlighted the equation imposed by the US delegate as such: "There is no going back and no extension without freedom of movement."

Not only did the US link the "freedom of movement" clause as a prerequisite for the extension of UNIFIL, Thomas-Greenfield, according to the report, had also added a clause stating there will be imposed "national duties that will correct the performance of the Lebanese Armed Forces accused by America, Israel and their allies of not carrying out their border duties to pursue Hezbollah's activities."

Al-Akhbar sources further indicated that in addition, the renewal decision "may entail a decision by the European Community directing its UNIFIL units, in particular France, which has over 900 military personnel, to take appropriate action to carry out its mission and to maintain the security of its soldiers and civilians."

A divided Lebanon has no plan for confrontation

Al-Akhbar then went on to link the delay of Bou Habib, which was allegedly due to a lack of funds for travel, to the submission of some Lebanese authorities to US pressure and demands. Al-Akhbar revealed that Bou Habib was clearly under US pressure, a hypothesis further proven when the Ministry of Finance announced, on August 23, that it had disbursed travel provisions as early as July 19.

The newspaper's report also emphasized that not only did Mikati delay Bou Habib's travel, he even withdrew his delegate, Ziad Mikati, from the military-diplomatic delegation accompanying Bou Habib to New York, noting that Ziad Mikati was withdrawn from the delegation right before Bou Habib would have requested, on behalf of Hezbollah and Amal movement, to join Bou Habib as part of the diplomatic-military delegation.

According to the newly published report, Mikati has positioned himself in a non-confrontational manner, saying that the extension has become a reality, a fait accompli, regardless of Lebanon's concerns regarding the amendments, including freedom of movement. There is no need to confront America and France."

It is also worth noting that Bou Habib had reduced his stay in New York to four days despite that it was initially supposed to extend from August 22 until September 1.