Hebrew media: US-Israeli agreement to end UNIFIL's mission in southern Lebanon

Hebrew media reported on Sunday that the United States and Israel have agreed to call for an end to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission in southern Lebanon, with a final decision expected to be made by the UN Security Council in August.

The privately owned Hebrew newspaper, Israel Hayom, reported that Israel and the United States have decided to end the mission of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has been stationed in southern Lebanon since 1978.

The newspaper noted that "Israel has decided to join the US administration's position calling for the end of the mission of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has been stationed in southern Lebanon since 1978 following the Litani Operation."

UNIFIL was established in 1978, pursuant to UN Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, following the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon. Its mission was to ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces, restore international peace, and assist the Lebanese state in restoring its authority in the area.

After Israel's full withdrawal in 2000, the force remained to monitor the border areas. Following the 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel, it was redeployed under the terms of Resolution 1701, to include supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces in implementing the deployment in the south, monitoring the cessation of hostilities, and facilitating humanitarian assistance to the civilian population.

Israel Hayom claimed that UNIFIL "has not actually succeeded in preventing the arming of armed groups in the area throughout its operation, which both Washington and Tel Aviv consider a failure to achieve security objectives."

The newspaper said, "The United States is seeking to reduce the costs of operating the force."

She claimed that "Israel considers coordination with the Lebanese army sufficient, and therefore there is no longer a real need for UNIFIL's presence."

As of 17:30 (GMT), the United States, Israel, and the UN force have not commented on what was reported by the Hebrew newspaper.

The final decision on UNIFIL's fate is expected to be made by the UN Security Council in August 2025, according to the same newspaper.

UNIFIL currently conducts regular patrols along the border between Israel and Lebanon. It comprises approximately 10,000 personnel from more than 50 countries, whose mission is to reduce tensions between Hezbollah and the Israeli army.

Last May, UNIFIL expressed concern over Israeli attacks on its property and personnel in southern Lebanon, the latest of which involved the firing of two shots, one of which hit a UNIFIL base south of the Lebanese border village of Kfar Shuba.

This was the first incident in which a UNIFIL position was directly hit since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon (Hezbollah) came into effect on November 27, 2024.

On October 8, 2023, Israel launched an aggression against Lebanon, which escalated into a full-scale war on September 23, 2024, resulting in more than 4,000 deaths and approximately 17,000 injuries, in addition to the displacement of approximately 1.4 million people.

Since the ceasefire began, Israel has committed at least 2,777 violations, leaving at least 199 dead and 491 wounded.

While the Lebanese army continues its deployment in the south in implementation of the agreement, Israel has reneged on its commitment to complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon by February 18, in violation of the agreement, and has continued to occupy five major Lebanese hills within the areas it occupied during the last war.

For decades, Israel has occupied territories in Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria, and refuses to withdraw from them and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the pre-1967 borders.