The UNIFIL will withdraw from Lebanon after completing its mission at the end of the year.

On November 5, Xinhua News Agency reported from Beirut (reporters Cao Changhao and Shen Feng) that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stated on social media that, according to relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, UNIFIL will begin to reduce its troop strength and withdraw from Lebanon after the completion of its mission on December 31, 2026.

UNIFIL stated that before the end of its mission, peacekeeping personnel will continue to carry out daily operations in southern Lebanon, including monitoring and reporting on local developments, maintaining contact with conflicting parties, supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces, and assisting humanitarian tasks.

UNIFIL indicated that the Security Council is considering arrangements related to the withdrawal of the force, including how to conduct monitoring and reporting along the "Blue Line," the temporary border between Lebanon and Israel, in the future. Relevant decisions will be made by the Security Council.

UNIFIL was established based on the resolution passed by the Security Council in 1978, with the mission of confirming Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon. After the 2006 Lebanon-Israel conflict, the Security Council passed a resolution expanding UNIFIL's mandate, which now includes monitoring the ceasefire and accompanying the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon after Israel's withdrawal. According to Resolution 2790, passed by the Security Council in August 2025, its mandate was extended for the last time until December 31, 2026, after which the force will safely and orderly reduce its size and withdraw all personnel within a year.

Lebanese President Aoun, Prime Minister Salam, and other officials have repeatedly called on the international community to maintain the presence of UNIFIL in Lebanon and warned that a security vacuum may arise in southern Lebanon after the withdrawal of UNIFIL.