The United Nations Security Council on Thursday is deciding the future of the blue helmets in Lebanon as the council votes on the France-backed resolution, which has received opposition from Israel and the US.
Around 10,800 peacekeepers have been acting as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon since 1978. However, the renewal of their term, which expires on Sunday, faces US-backed Israeli opposition.
While Israel and the US want them to leave, France has introduced a resolution seeking an extension for one more year due to ongoing hostilities in the region. France, which oversees the issue at the Security Council and has the support of Beirut, had initially considered a one-year extension and referred simply to an "intention" to work towards a withdrawal of UNIFIL.
The council will “decide to extend the UNIFIL presence in Lebanon for one more year as set out by the resolution 1701 (2006) until 31 December 2026 and to start an orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal from 31 December 2026 and within one year," the text said.
Following its withdrawal from the southern part, the Lebanese army will be solely responsible for ensuring safety and security in the country’s southern part. US Envoy Tom Barrack said that on Tuesday that Washington would approve a one-year extension, though he did not express too much confidence about whether his country would have the same standing on Thursday.
Under the recent ceasefire that ended the war between Hezbollah and Israel, Beirut’s army has been deploying in the south of the country and dismantling the resistance group’s infrastructure there.
Earlier last week, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun called for the peacekeepers to remain in the territory, saying that the curtailment of UNIFIL's mandate "will negatively impact the situation in the south, which still suffers from Israeli occupation."
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