Turkey extends UNIFIL participation by two years

The Turkish Parliament on Tuesday extended the country’s participation in the United Nations Interim Force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) by two years, according to reports in Turkish media.

Turkish troops have been part of the force since 2006.

Parliament was presented with a motion signed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which the president sought to prolong Turkey's military presence in this framework in Lebanon.

"Given our bilateral relations with Lebanon and the security conditions in the region," elements of the Turkish army, with numbers to be determined by the president, "will participate in UNIFIL for an additional two years starting October 31, 2025," the motion reads.

The authorization was renewed last year for one year, with the deployment of 97 Turkish forces members.

According to the United Nations website, as of July 2025, UNIFIL will have an international force of 13,000 people, including 9,800 soldiers mainly from Indonesia, Italy and India, the three largest contributing countries.

This international force has been targeted by Israel on multiple occasions since the opening of the front between Hezbollah and Israel last year, in parallel with the war on Gaza, both of which were brought to an ostensible end by U.S.-brokered cease-fires.