United Nations: The UN Security Council has decided to end the peacekeeping operations in Lebanon, in which nearly 1,000 Indian troops are deployed.
The Council voted on Thursday to shut down in two years the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that has been struggling to keep the peace in southern Lebanon, where Israel confronts the Hezbollah, and the weak Lebanese military is caught in the middle.
The 47-year-old UNIFIL’s mandate that expires this weekend was extended for a final time till the end of 2026, with another year allowed for the “safe and orderly” wind down of the operations.
There are currently 10,800 peacekeepers in UNIFIL, including 903 from India.
The resolution for extending the mandate was crafted carefully by France to avoid a US veto that would have reflected Israel’s opposition to the UNIFIL.
France Mission’s Charge d’Affaires Jay Dharmadikari welcomed the limited extension and said: “Any premature withdrawal would have hampered, undermined or even weakened the Lebanese government’s efforts.”
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“This precious time will be necessary to support the build-up of the Lebanese Armed Forces and establish the Lebanese state’s authority throughout its territory, while the situation remains precarious,” he said.
Acting US Permanent Representative Dorothy Shea said: “This will be the last time the United States will support an extension of UNIFIL.”
UNIFIL facilities have come under attack from Israel as it says it pursues the Hezbollah, while accusing the peacekeepers of being ineffective.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah forces have also defied UNIFIL and operated in the areas it patrols.
UNIFIL was created by the Council in 1978 with a mandate to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and to help the Lebanese government reestablish its authority in the area.
Israel’s Permanent Ambassador said the UNIFIL had “failed” and “Hezbollah took over the region”.
“Today, the Lebanese government has the responsibility to take control of the area and to understand that they have to be there — not Hezbollah, not anyone else,” he said.
Hezbollah has been routed by Israeli operations in recent months that struck its positions by air and land, pushing past UNIFIL as it stepped up operations against its adversaries in the region after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel in 2023.
Two Indians, Brigadier Ganesan Athmanathan and Major General Lalit Mohan Tewari, commanded the force in the early 2000s.
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