Why is the presence of UNIFIL? A report speaks

The newspaper “ArabNews” published a new report saying that Lebanon needs the “UNIFIL” forces more than ever.

In its report translated by “Lebanon 24”, the newspaper stated that the UN Security Council voted, on Thursday, to renew the United Nations Temporary Movement in Lebanon for the last time, ensuring the reduction of its number as of December 2026, and added: “The future of the UNIFIL forces, which was established by the UN Security Council about 5 decades ago, was a discussion for a while. UNIFIL was established in 1978 to monitor Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and played an important role in supporting peace and security, and helped the Lebanese government to restore its authority. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the UNIFIL bases have been subjected to repeated attacks by the Israeli forces, while Tel Aviv, in parallel with its attacks, sought pressure to end the mandate of the mission. Türkiye has been contributing to UNIFIL since 2006, providing basic support for land and sea operations. Nevertheless, the Turkish parliament annually renews the mandate of the continued deployment of its forces as part of the mission. While several Western countries, whose frustration with Israel’s destabilizing actions in the region, continued to support the mission, Israel has intensified its efforts to pressure the United States – which has already raised doubts about the feasibility of UNIFIL in terms of cost and reduced its funding – to close it. Although some American officials, such as Tom Barak, the American ambassador to Turkey and the special envoy to Syria, have emphasized the importance of the mission, Washington agreed to end its mandate. UNIFIL is not just a monitoring mission, but rather a commitment to peace and diplomacy in an area threatened by Israel. For this, ending the mandate of this mission serves Israel’s goal of closing diplomatic pressure channels. In this case, the presence of UNIFIL becomes more important than ever. As Israel continues to act without punishment, the dismantling of the peacekeeping force may cause a security void along the Israeli -Lebanese border, which may negatively affect the stability of the Middle East. Moreover, the mission contributes to keeping Lebanon on the international agenda, which partly explains Israel’s pressure on the United States to oppose the mission.