UN debates future withdrawal of Lebanon peacekeeping force

UNITED NATIONS

 The United Nations Security Council began to debate on Aug. 18 a resolution drafted by France to extend the U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon for a year with the ultimate aim to withdraw it.

Israel and the United States have reportedly opposed the renewal of the force's mandate, and it was unclear if the draft text has backing from Washington, which wields a veto on the Council.

A U.S. State Department spokesman said, "We don't comment on ongoing U.N. Security Council negotiations," as talks continued on the fate of the U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed since 1978 to separate Lebanon and Israel.

The text, first reported by Reuters, would "extend the mandate of UNIFIL until Aug. 31, 2026" but "indicates its intention to work on a withdrawal of UNIFIL."

That would be on the condition that Lebanon's government was the "sole provider of security in southern Lebanon... and that the parties agree on a comprehensive political arrangement."

Under a truce that ended a recent war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, Beirut's army has been deploying in south Lebanon and dismantling the militant group's infrastructure there.

Lebanon has been grappling with the thorny issue of disarming Hezbollah, with the cabinet this month tasking the army with developing a plan to do so by the end of the year. The Iran-backed group has pushed back.

Under the truce, Israel was meant to completely withdraw from Lebanon, though it has kept forces in several areas it deems strategic and continues to administer strikes across Lebanon.