Members of the United Nations Security Council gather for a meeting about the ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, at the U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., Aug. 28, 2024. (Credit: David 'Dee' Delgado/Reuters)
BEIRUT — The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously voted on Wednesday to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for one year.
The UNSC strongly urged all concerned parties to "implement immediate measures for de-escalation, including efforts to restore calm, restraint, and stability around the Blue Line," the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon.
The resolution passed by the Council to extend UNIFIL's mandate also reiterates the Council's "strong support" for full respect of the Blue Line and a complete cessation of hostilities.
The Lebanese-Israeli border remained relatively calm between 2006 and 2023. However, since October 2023, Hezbollah and Israel have been engaging in near-daily cross-border hostilities in parallel with the war in Gaza.
While UNIFIL's mandate remains unchanged, the resolution adopted "encourages the U.N. Secretary-General to ensure that UNIFIL remains prepared to adjust its activities to support de-escalation within its mandate and rules of engagement."
Israel's ambassador to the U.N. condemns the resolution
However, this did not satisfy Israel's new ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, who said during the session: "What good is this mandate when it miserably fails to meet any of its objectives," arguing that the rocket attack that killed 12 children and teenagers in Majdal Shams at the end of July was "the direct result of UNIFIL and the Lebanese government's failure" to implement the Council's resolutions.
Danon also displayed during the session maps highlighting "Hezbollah rocket launch sites" marked with red dots. He criticized that these points "are close to areas where UNIFIL operates," despite the U.N. unanimously extending the mission's mandate.
Moreover, he condemned the resolution for failing to mention Hezbollah. "Time is running out, and Israel will not hesitate to use all available means if diplomacy fails," he added regarding the current tensions at the border.
Danon also addressed the Lebanese government and people, saying that they have a choice to make: "Confront Hezbollah today or watch as your country is dragged into chaos and destruction. Do not let Hezbollah and Iran dictate your future. If you fail to act, the devastation that follows will be on your hands. Israel does not seek war. But as we demonstrated this week, we will not hesitate to defend our people. The time for the international community to act is now before this conflict spirals further out of control. We call on this council to finally enforce Resolution 1701 in full and to recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.”
Lebanon expresses its gratitude
Meanwhile, the Lebanese representative to the U.N. "thanked" the Security Council for the unanimous vote to extend UNIFIL's mandate and called for "the full implementation of Resolution 1701."
UNSC 1701, which ended the July 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, mandates Hezbollah's withdrawal north of the Litani River and the deployment of the Lebanese Army and a multinational force in the border region.
Reacting to the vote, Lebanon's caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed Lebanon's "deep gratitude" to members of the U.N. Security Council for their " tireless efforts to renew UNIFIL's mandate, and in particular to France, for all its efforts to reach a consensus on this issue," according to a statement released by his office.
"The renewal of UNIFIL's mandate is essential to maintaining stability in southern Lebanon ... We affirm Lebanon's commitment to working closely with UNIFIL to address the challenges and threats to stability in the south. We also reiterate Lebanon's commitment to implementing ... U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701," Mikati added.
Earlier on Wednesday, caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib met with French Ambassador to Lebanon Hervé Magro and U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson on Wednesday, according to the state-run National News Agency.
According to NNA, Bou Habib discussed with Magro and Johnson "some of the points contained in the text of the draft resolution for the extension of UNIFIL ... which France submitted to the UN Security Council (UNCSC)."
Last year, discussions regarding changes in the mandate and missions of the Force had caused the renewal to be postponed twice.
Lebanon and Hezbollah had then insisted on amendments to Article 16 of the resolution, to limit UNIFIL's ability to move throughout the country without the permission of the Lebanese Army. However, no changes were made to this article in the final text.
