America Decides to Extend UNIFIL Mission in Southern Lebanon Until 2026
August 26, 2025206 ViewsRead Time: 2 minutes
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The American envoy to Lebanon, Tom Barak, announced today, Tuesday, that the United States will agree to extend the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for an additional year, until August 31, 2026, despite previous positions from Washington and Tel Aviv opposing this step.
In a press conference held after his meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut, Barak confirmed that "the position of the United States is that we will extend for a year," noting that the cost of this force exceeds "one billion dollars annually."
This statement comes at a time when the 15 member states of the United Nations Security Council have begun discussing a draft resolution to extend the UNIFIL mission for only one year, in preparation for the gradual withdrawal from southern Lebanon, where it has been deployed since March 1978 along the border with Israel. The force currently includes more than 10,000 soldiers from about 50 countries.
The vote on the draft resolution was scheduled for last Monday, but it was postponed to an unspecified date, according to diplomatic sources that informed the French press agency, with consultations to continue later within the Security Council.
The draft resolution, which the agency has seen, includes a paragraph indicating the Security Council's intention to work towards the gradual withdrawal of UNIFIL, so that the Lebanese government becomes the sole guarantor of security in the south of the country.
In a related context, Barak stated that "Israel will withdraw from the south at the same pace as the disarmament of Hezbollah," referring to the connection between the presence of foreign troops and the ongoing border tensions, with the issue of the party's arms supported by Iran.
The anticipated decision carries sensitive political and security dimensions amid rising regional tensions, and Washington's approval of the extension represents an important shift that may affect the shape and fate of the UNIFIL mission in the near future.
