US Backs One-Year Extension of UN Peacekeeping Mandate in Lebanon

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The United States has confirmed it will support the extension of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) for another year, as the Security Council debates the force’s future.

Speaking to journalists at Lebanon’s presidential palace on Tuesday, US envoy Tom Barrack said:

“The United States’ position is we will extend for one year.”

UNIFIL, which was first deployed in 1978 to oversee peace and security along the Israel–Lebanon border, currently costs about $1 billion annually, a figure Barrack described disapprovingly.

The Security Council is considering a French-drafted compromise to renew UNIFIL’s mandate until August 2026 while laying the groundwork for an eventual withdrawal.

According to the latest draft resolution seen by AFP, the Council would also signal its intent “to work on a withdrawal of UNIFIL to make the Lebanese Government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon.”

A vote originally scheduled for Monday was delayed amid opposition from the United States and Israel, with negotiations ongoing, several diplomatic sources confirmed.

UNIFIL has long played a stabilising role in southern Lebanon, but its presence has become the subject of political debate, as regional tensions continue to rise.

The United States has confirmed it will support the extension of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) for another year, as the Security Council debates the force’s future.

Speaking to journalists at Lebanon’s presidential palace on Tuesday, US envoy Tom Barrack said:

“The United States’ position is we will extend for one year.”

UNIFIL, which was first deployed in 1978 to oversee peace and security along the Israel–Lebanon border, currently costs about $1 billion annually, a figure Barrack described disapprovingly.

The Security Council is considering a French-drafted compromise to renew UNIFIL’s mandate until August 2026 while laying the groundwork for an eventual withdrawal.

According to the latest draft resolution seen by AFP, the Council would also signal its intent “to work on a withdrawal of UNIFIL to make the Lebanese Government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon.”

A vote originally scheduled for Monday was delayed amid opposition from the United States and Israel, with negotiations ongoing, several diplomatic sources confirmed.

UNIFIL has long played a stabilising role in southern Lebanon, but its presence has become the subject of political debate, as regional tensions continue to rise.