"The United Nations Security Council has voted to extend the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon until the end of 2026 but to then terminate the mission in an orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal over the following year. The unanimous vote on Thursday came just before the mandate for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was due to expire on Sunday and as the United States and its close ally Israel have increasingly pushed for the mission's termination."
"UNIFIL was initially created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel's 1978 invasion, and its mandate has been renewed annually since then. The mission was expanded after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah with proponents saying it remains important to maintaining a demilitarised buffer between the two sides. The approved resolution said UNIFIL will continue its operations until December 2026, and it would then begin withdrawing its 10,800 military and civilian personnel and equipment."
The UN Security Council voted unanimously to extend UNIFIL in southern Lebanon until December 2026, then to carry out an orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal over the following year. UNIFIL was created after Israel's 1978 invasion and expanded after the 2006 war to help maintain a demilitarised buffer along the Blue Line. The resolution calls for withdrawal of about 10,800 military and civilian personnel and equipment in consultation with the Lebanese government and seeks to make the Lebanese government the sole security provider north of the Blue Line while urging Israel to withdraw. The United States and Israel have pushed for UNIFIL's termination, and the U.S. cut funding.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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