All articles tagged with #unifil
UNIFIL’s mandate expires on Dec. 31, 2026, without renewal due to U.S. and Israeli opposition. A fragile June ceasefire has not ended the conflict, which has killed over 4,300 people in Lebanon. Israel maintains a buffer zone called the 'yellow line,' displacing civilians and blocking access to farmland, while UNIFIL resumes patrols in newly accessible areas.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and Jordanian King Abdullah II met in Paris to coordinate a post-UNIFIL security strategy. The UN peacekeeping force is scheduled to end operations in southern Lebanon by December 31, 2026. The summit focused on strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces and establishing a multinational successor to prevent a security vacuum, though the June framework agreement linking Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah disarmament has stalled.
Israeli forces have occupied a 10-kilometer-deep strip of southern Lebanon, flattening Shia-majority villages while sparing Christian communities. Despite a June ceasefire, daily strikes and demolitions continue, leaving over 350,000 displaced. The US-brokered 'pilot zone' plan for Lebanese army deployment has stalled, with Israel expanding its presence rather than withdrawing.
Israeli forces are consolidating a permanent presence in southern Lebanon, expanding their footprint to roughly 5% of the country’s territory. Despite a June ceasefire, the IDF has established nine bases and continues airstrikes, while Hezbollah launches drone attacks. Diplomatic efforts to disarm Hezbollah have stalled, with officials warning of a 'Gaza-like' entrenchment.
Israeli officials have informed Washington that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have failed to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure in southern pilot zones, despite receiving coordinates from the IDF. While Israel has halted expansion of these zones, ongoing strikes and a UNIFIL warning highlight the fragility of the current ceasefire.
US forces cleared sea mines from the Strait of Hormuz, declaring the waterway safe for transit, while Israel conducted strikes in southern Lebanon following Hezbollah drone attacks. UN peacekeepers warned that ongoing military activity threatens civilian safety and stability in the region.
Israeli forces have intensified military operations in southern Lebanon, utilizing phosphorus shells and heavy artillery across multiple towns. UNIFIL recorded a significant spike in projectiles, averaging 137 per day recently, despite a fragile ceasefire. The escalation has caused extensive civilian displacement and destruction, with rights groups condemning the use of banned weapons in populated areas.
Israel and the United States have denied reports that they and Lebanon agreed on a specific list of nations to oversee Hezbollah’s disarmament. While diplomatic sources in Rome suggested Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Indonesia were shortlisted, official representatives in Washington and Jerusalem stated that no formal accord exists on the composition of the monitoring body. The dispute centers on the identity of the third-party mechanism that will verify Lebanese military clearance operations in southern Lebanon, a key component of the June Trilateral Framework Agreement.
Hezbollah fired mortars at a UNIFIL position in southern Lebanon, hitting a base in the Dibbine area and killing a Serbian peacekeeper with two others injured; the IDF says the attack was by Hezbollah, and UNIFIL is investigating while urging protection of personnel under international law.
UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon report escalating Hezbollah-Israel clashes and drone activity near UN positions, as regional fighting intensifies. Separately, Iran-U.S.-Israel hostilities coincide with a jump in U.S. wholesale prices driven by energy costs from the war. Iran outlines preconditions for talks as President Trump arrives in Beijing to meet Xi, with mediation efforts led by Pakistan and discussion of a multinational mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, which Australia plans to join. The ceasefire remains fragile amid continued strikes and cross-border incidents in Lebanon and around Hormuz.
Lebanese Christians in Debel celebrated the installation of a new crucifix donated by Italian UNIFIL troops after an Israeli soldier damaged the original statue, an act that drew global condemnation. The ceremony, attended by the papal nuncio, came amid ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon and ceasefire talks, with Italian Prime Minister Meloni praising the UN contingent. Two Israeli soldiers were placed in military detention for 30 days over the desecration.
In Debel, southern Lebanon, residents with help from an Italian UNIFIL battalion replaced a statue of Jesus that the IDF had provided after an Israeli soldier smashed the previous one, using a replica identical to the damaged statue; the IDF opened an investigation, removed the soldier who destroyed the statue and the one who photographed it from combat and sentenced them to 30 days in prison, summoned six additional soldiers for talks, and expressed regret, stressing its Lebanon operations target Hezbollah rather than Lebanese civilians and pledging to aid the village in the replacement.
France confirms the death of Sgt. Maj. Florian Montorio in a southern Lebanon ambush blamed on Hezbollah, as UNIFIL and IDF actions test a 10-day ceasefire and Iran-backed influence looms; an IDF reservist was also killed and nine soldiers wounded the same day.
The UN Secretary-General condemned a deadly attack on a UNIFIL patrol in southern Lebanon, where one peacekeeper was killed and three others injured while clearing ordnance near Ghanduriyah. Initial assessments point to non-state actors, with Hezbollah mentioned as alleged perpetrators. Guterres urged adherence to the ceasefire and international law, noted that attacks on peacekeepers may amount to war crimes, and UNIFIL launched an investigation while calling on Lebanon to hold those responsible to account.
A French UN peacekeeper was killed and three others wounded when a UNIFIL patrol in southern Lebanon was fired upon in what officials described as a deliberate attack; France blames Hezbollah, which denies involvement, amid heightened tensions and a 10-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire.