A little girl greets UNIFIL soldiers during a patrol in the Tyre district in South Lebanon, on July 8, 2025. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L’Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Following the announcement of a 25 percent reduction in U.N. peacekeeper forces, Kandice Ardiel, spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), warned in an interview with Emirati news outlet Erem News on Tuesday that this cut “will have negative effects on [UNIFIL’s] ability to fully carry out [its] mandate” in southern Lebanon.
"We are currently in the final stages of drafting our plans, aware that this reduction will have negative effects on our ability to fully carry out our mandate," the spokesperson said, referring to “extremely difficult decisions.”
However, she specified that work was being done “in close cooperation with Lebanese authorities and the troop-contributing countries to Unifil to implement the necessary reductions with as little impact as possible on the running of our mission,” adding that Unifil was also “doing everything [it] can to continue to carry out the essential tasks assigned to [it].”
A senior United Nations official announced last week that the number of peacekeepers would be reduced by 25 percent — to between 13,000 and 14,000 soldiers and police — over the coming months due to U.S. budget cuts.
“We have no choice but to implement these reductions due to the non-payment of contributions by some states,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of U.N. peacekeeping operations worldwide at a meeting of these countries in the Indian capital, New Delhi.
The decision will affect the U.N. force, whose mandate will last through late 2026, after the Security Council decided to extend it for a “final time” in August.
340 weapons and ammunition depots
Addressing the situation in southern Lebanon, Ardiel explained that “the presence of Israeli soldiers inside Lebanese territory limits the Lebanese army’s ability to fully deploy and carry out its duties” in the south. Under U.N. Resolution 1701, UNIFIL is meant to assist the Lebanese Army in dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure south of the Litani River.
Since the cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel on November 27, 2024, peacekeepers have discovered over 340 weapons and ammunition depots in southern Lebanon. These findings have been reported to the Lebanese army for follow-up, reflecting close cooperation between the two forces.
Ardiel emphasized that the Lebanese army has a clear action plan, which it is currently implementing. The military aims to dismantle all Hezbollah infrastructure south of the Litani River by the end of 2025, as presented to Parliament on Sept. 5.
The Unifil spokesperson also condemned the “[Israeli] air raids and drone attacks,” which have caused “deaths and injuries among civilians, including children.”
“Regarding violations targeting peacekeeping forces, there have been several drone bomb attacks, as well as incidents where weapons and lasers were pointed at our personnel by Israeli forces,” she recalled.
A week ago, she warned that there is still “no safety or stability along the Blue Line” in southern Lebanon, at the border with Israel, during a visit to the public school in Naqoura (Sour).
'Strong relations with the communities of southern Lebanon'
She also noted Tuesday that Unifil has “always maintained strong relations with the local communities of southern Lebanon.”
“Although there have sometimes been rare misunderstandings, they are generally resolved quickly and without recourse to violence. Residents recognize the importance of the role played by the peacekeeping forces, especially during this sensitive period,” she said.
“The continued presence [of Unifil] and its activities on the ground help to defuse tensions and prevent any escalation, despite the attempts of some actors to influence public opinion against it in the south,” Ardiel added.
Tensions and clashes occur frequently between Unifil patrols and local residents, in a region largely controlled by Hezbollah, when peacekeepers enter villages without being accompanied by the Lebanese army.
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