President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed on Thursday the United Nations Security Council’s decision to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until December 31, 2026.
President Aoun thanked all 15 Security Council members for their unanimous support, singling out France as penholder for its diplomatic efforts, and the United States for backing the French draft and understanding Lebanon’s circumstances.
He also expressed gratitude to other member states for their valuable input, as well as to Lebanese officials, from the mission to the UN to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for their role in securing the resolution. Aoun said he hopes the next 16 months will bring stability Lebanon’s southern border and that the subsequent year of UNIFIL’s withdrawal will help consolidate Lebanon’s sovereignty over its entire border.
For his part, Prime Minister Salam praised the member states’ constructive engagement during the negotiations, highlighting France’s role in building consensus and acknowledging other nations for taking Lebanon’s concerns into account.
He explained that the renewal covers a 16-month period, followed by a gradual and safe withdrawal at the end of 2026 lasting one year. The resolution also calls on the UN Secretary-General to consider future options for implementing Resolution 1701, including continued support for security and monitoring along the Blue Line after UNIFIL’s departure.
Salam emphasized that the resolution reiterates its call on Israel to withdraw from the five positions it still occupies and underscores the need for the Lebanese state to assert its authority over the entire territory, in line with previous international resolutions and the Taif Accord, “so that there are no weapons except those of the state and no authority except that of the government.” He added that the international community is urged to bolster the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) with equipment, supplies and funding to ensure their effective and sustained deployment.
Moreover, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri also thanked the members of the UN Security Council for unanimously voting to renew UNIFIL’s mandate. He expressed hope for a similar international consensus to end Israel’s ongoing violations against Lebanon. He referred to the Israeli drone blast that claimed Thursday evening the lives of two Lebanese soldiers and injured another, emphasizing that Israel must be compelled to fully implement Resolution 1701 and uphold the ceasefire in all its aspects.
The same position was expressed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which described the UN decision as the “result of sustained diplomatic efforts carried out by the ministry in coordination with the Presidency of the Republic and the government to preserve UNIFIL’s missions in this sensitive and delicate context that Lebanon is experiencing, marked by Israel’s ongoing violations and aggressions.”
“The ministry reaffirms Lebanon’s commitment to work closely with the international forces in order to strengthen the deployment of the Lebanese army in the South, concentrate weapons under its authority, and implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701,” the statement read.
The ministry also expressed “its gratitude to all the states that have participated in UNIFIL’s missions since its establishment in 1978 to the present day,” emphasizing Lebanon’s “commitment to the security and protection of UNIFIL forces and personnel.”
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