Lebanon Requests UNIFIL Extension to Counter Ongoing Threats
(MENAFN) Lebanon officially submitted a request on Friday to extend the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate for an additional year, starting August 31, 2025.
According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry, the appeal follows a decision by the Lebanese Cabinet on May 14, 2025.
The renewal request was conveyed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres via Lebanon’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York.
The ministry affirmed Lebanon’s “commitment to the presence of UNIFIL and to continuing cooperation with the force deployed in the country’s south under UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”
Additionally, Lebanon reiterated its insistence that “Israel withdraw from all Lebanese territory it continues to occupy and cease its ongoing violations of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
UNIFIL has been stationed in southern Lebanon since 1978, with its mandate significantly strengthened after the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. The current mandate is set to expire on August 31, 2025, pending approval by the UN Security Council.
Despite a ceasefire reached last November, Israeli forces have launched near-daily operations in southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah positions. This truce followed months of escalating cross-border clashes that culminated in a full-scale war in September.
Lebanese officials report nearly 3,000 Israeli ceasefire breaches, resulting in at least 208 fatalities and over 500 injuries since the agreement took effect.
The ceasefire terms required Israel to withdraw completely from southern Lebanon by January 26, a deadline extended to February 18 after Tel Aviv failed to comply. Israel continues to occupy five military outposts along the border.
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