End of UNIFIL mission? White House seeks to prevent extension of peacekeeping forces in Lebanon

Pars Today – As the end of the United Nations peacekeeping forces' mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, approaches, the White House is attempting to block the renewal of the force's mandate.

Washington's opposition to extending the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has caused disagreements between the White House and its European allies and could have negative consequences for West Asian security. 

The UNIFIL mission in Lebanon is set to conclude at the end of August this year. This multinational force has played a crucial role for decades in monitoring the security situation in southern Lebanon, particularly during last year's war between the Zionist regime and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

UNIFIL was deployed to oversee the withdrawal of Zionist regime forces from southern Lebanon following the regime's invasion in 1978. Its mission and operations expanded in 2006 after the Zionist regime's 33-day war against Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Many U.S. lawmakers, some of whom are now influential figures in Donald Trump's administration, have criticized the presence of these forces, considering their operations a waste of money. Now, amid such views, multiple reports and evidence suggest that the White House is attempting to block the renewal of UNIFIL's mandate in Lebanon—a move that has become a new point of tension in Washington's relations with its key European allies: France, Britain, and Italy.

Pars Today, citing IRNA, reports that informed sources within the Trump administration have revealed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a plan last week calling for UNIFIL's mission to end within the next six months. 

This decision comes after Washington had already significantly cut funding for the peacekeeping forces. 

Tel Aviv has long sought an end to UNIFIL's mission, and past votes to extend the force’s mandate have often followed weeks of political disputes and wrangling at the UN Security Council. 

European countries, especially Italy and France, have repeatedly opposed reducing or withdrawing UNIFIL forces and have continued pushing for the mission’s extension. Informed sources in Washington revealed that the six-month deadline was extended due to diplomatic efforts by Paris and Rome, forcing the Zionist regime to reluctantly accept the compromise. 

Currently, around 10,000 UN peacekeepers are deployed in southern Lebanon, while the Lebanese Army has roughly 6,000 troops in the region—a number expected to rise to 10,000. 

MG