UN officials call for prompt discussions on the future arrangements of the UNIFIL forces.

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 15 - Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, urged on the 14th to initiate consultations as soon as possible regarding the future arrangements for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Lacroix stated that UN Secretary-General António Guterres had proposed earlier this year to continue the presence of UNIFIL in Lebanon, and the relevant proposal has been submitted to the UN Security Council. He noted that negotiations "should substantively commence soon, and it would be better to make a decision as early as possible."

This is a vehicle of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon photographed in the Shiyam area of Lebanon on December 12, 2024. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Tahir Abu Hamdan)

Under pressure from the United States, the Security Council decided last August to extend the mandate of UNIFIL for the last time, which will cease operations on December 31, 2026, after which it will begin to scale down and withdraw all personnel from Lebanon within a year. The Lebanese government has consistently called for an extension of UNIFIL's presence, emphasizing its role in monitoring the situation of hostilities and assisting in the delivery of aid supplies to villages in areas occupied by the Israeli military. China has also expressed regret over the withdrawal of UNIFIL.

UNIFIL was established under Security Council Resolution 425 adopted in 1978, and currently, about 7,500 peacekeepers are stationed at approximately 50 locations in southern Lebanon. According to Reuters, if the parties fail to reach an agreement on the future arrangements for UNIFIL, these peacekeeping positions are expected to be handed over to the Lebanese Army. However, since most of them are located in areas occupied by the Israeli military, it remains unclear how the Lebanese Army will take over.

Lebanese Army Commander-in-Chief Rudolf Haikal met with Lacroix in the capital Beirut on the 14th to discuss the subsequent arrangements for UNIFIL.

On June 26, Lebanon, Israel, and the United States announced a trilateral framework agreement in Washington. According to the agreement, the Israeli military will withdraw from certain areas in southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese Army taking over local security affairs. However, after the agreement was reached, the Israeli military continued to carry out military strikes against targets within Lebanon. According to Lacroix, the Israeli military has unilaterally established a "security zone" in the deep areas of Lebanon and stationed troops there, which has led to "escalation of the situation and risks of losing control," necessitating "third-party intervention to ease the situation." (Li Mingrui)