U.S. and European Allies at Odds Over UN Security Council’s UNIFIL Mandate Extension

Latest Developments

U.S., Europe Diverge: The UN Security Council is debating whether to renew the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which expires on August 31, highlighting disagreement between the United States, which opposes an extension, and its European allies, which support it. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously secured major funding cuts to the force and reportedly signed off on a plan that would wind down UNIFIL over a period of six months. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote a letter to Rubio calling for an immediate termination of UNIFIL, reminding him that the “force was intended to be temporary from the outset and has failed in its fundamental task.”
France’s Proposal to Extend UNIFIL: France and other European states have expressed concern that ending UNIFIL’s mandate before the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) can become a viable alternative would create a vacuum that would be exploited by Hezbollah, Iran’s terrorist proxy in Lebanon. The French proposal calls for an extension of UNIFIL’s mandate for one year, followed by a six-month drawdown period. The plan is contingent on certain conditions being met by Lebanon, including the LAF’s ability to maintain security, and also urges Israel to withdraw from the “five points” in southern Lebanon, which the IDF continues to hold to prevent Hezbollah from regrouping. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Envoy to Lebanon Tom Barrack has reportedly convinced Rubio to support the French proposal.
UNIFIL’s Failed Mission: The international force of approximately 10,000 UN peacekeepers was tasked under UNSC Resolution 1701 to assist the LAF in ensuring that terrorist groups like Hezbollah do not use UNIFIL’s operational area in southern Lebanon as a base for hostilities against Israel. Yet despite its $538 million annual budget — a quarter of which was previously given by the United States — UNIFIL has failed to prevent the resumption of hostilities along the Blue Line. As a result, since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, atrocities, Hezbollah staged near-daily attacks from the area monitored by UNIFIL, leading to a full-scale war in November 2024.

FDD Expert Response

“U.S. taxpayers spent more than $2.5 billion over 18 years on a supposed peacekeeping force that neither disarmed Hezbollah nor intervened to stop the flow of weapons into southern Lebanon. UNIFIL brought war, not peace, and even now it has neither the mandate nor the will to enforce a ceasefire and clear out remaining Hezbollah forces. It is a negative return on investment that creates significant risk and little to no benefit. It’s time to save the taxpayers a lot of money by ending UNIFIL’s mandate, supporting Israeli peace enforcement operations, and pressing the Lebanese Armed Forces to defend Lebanon’s sovereignty from Hezbollah.” — Richard Goldberg, Senior Advisor

“UNIFIL’s mandate never included disarming or restraining Hezbollah. That was always Lebanon’s duty, with UNIFIL acting as an auxiliary. If Lebanon will not act upon its obligations under Resolution 1701 to end Hezbollah’s existence as an armed force, then there is no purpose in renewing its mandate, funding the mission, or keeping its troops on the frontlines of a volatile frontier.” — David Daoud, Senior Fellow