UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon are preparing for a UNIFIL withdrawal after their mandate ends on December 31, 2026. Mission spokesperson Kandice Ardiel told UN News that no one had agreed on a successor force as of November 11.
The exit will end a mission that began in 1978, yet its goals remain incomplete. The Security Council still calls for Israeli troops to leave, Lebanese state control and a lasting ceasefire.
Why the UNIFIL withdrawal is happening
The force is leaving because the Security Council set an end date. It has not declared the area safe. Resolution 2790, adopted on August 28, 2025, extended the mandate for the last time. It orders the mission to stop regular operations at the end of 2026 and withdraw within one year.
Behind that timetable lies a dispute over whether the force still serves its purpose. The UK House of Commons Library says the United States and Israel faulted UNIFIL for failing to curb Hezbollah’s buildup. Washington also said the force was only meant to be temporary.
Every Council member backed the vote, but they did not all view the risks in the same way. In its account of the vote, Britain said an early exit could leave a gap that Hezbollah might exploit. It also urged Israeli troops still in the south to leave.
Britain backed the extension because it gave the force 16 more months before leaving, its UN envoy James Kariuki said. But he said the peace plan remained incomplete. Thus, the vote did not mean that all members thought the conflict was over.
Why peacekeepers went to Lebanon in 1978
UNIFIL stands for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. In March 1978, Resolution 425 called on Israel to halt military action in Lebanon and withdraw its troops. The new force was to check that they left.
Resolution 425, adopted on March 19, 1978, set three linked tasks. The force was to confirm Israeli withdrawal, restore peace and security, and help Lebanon’s government regain control of the area. The Council created it at the Lebanese government’s request.
Resolution 426 gave the mission an initial six months. But the Council could extend that term, and did so for nearly five decades. UN News records that the first peacekeepers arrived on March 23, 1978.
The original task was therefore more than watching a line on a map. Under Resolution 425, the exit of Israeli troops was to go hand in hand with peace and Lebanese state control. Troops leaving would meet just one part of that plan.
The Blue Line is a withdrawal line
The UN worked with Lebanese and Israeli officials to identify the Blue Line in 2000, UN News explains. It was a line against which to check that Israeli troops had left. It did not exist when the first peacekeepers arrived in 1978.
The Commons Library says that this line does not settle the disputed state border. Thus, checking who crosses it and reaching a lasting border deal are different tasks. Resolution 2790 also calls for talks to resolve border disputes.
How the 2006 war changed the mission
In response to the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Council gave the force a wider role through Resolution 1701. It allowed up to 15,000 troops. This was a ceiling, not a count of troops serving in November 2026.
The resolution tasked peacekeepers with watching the halt in fighting and helping Lebanese troops deploy across the south. They were also to help aid reach civilians and displaced people return home safely and voluntarily. Their work would involve both Lebanon and Israel.
Resolution 1701 set out rules for the zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River. Only Lebanese government forces and UNIFIL were to have armed troops, weapons and military assets there. The wider plan called for armed groups across Lebanon to disarm.
However, a call for armed groups to disarm is not an order for UN troops to fight them. The Commons Library records the UN’s view that the mandate never tasked peacekeepers with disarming Hezbollah themselves. Their role was to help the parties meet their duties.
The troops still had powers to act. Resolution 1701 let them take necessary action, within their area and means, to prevent hostile use of that area. It also let them protect UN staff and civilians under imminent threat of physical violence. Lebanon’s government retained its own duty to protect civilians.
What UNIFIL withdrawal means for communities
Ardiel told UN News that Israeli forces still carried out military acts and violations in the south despite reduced fighting after a June deal. She described wrecked water systems, power networks and roads. People returning home must cope with that damage as the UN force prepares to leave.
The force also provides local jobs, UN News reported. Some Lebanese staff have lost homes or relatives in the conflict and now face the end of their work. Ardiel said residents were worried about losing a UN presence while the area remained unstable.
The Commons Library says Lebanon has sought to keep UNIFIL or another international force. It records President Joseph Aoun’s preference for renewing the mandate, or keeping an international force if renewal fails. That request has not changed the timetable described by UN News.
The UNIFIL withdrawal timetable and what comes next
Resolution 2790 separates the end of regular operations from withdrawal and the later closure of the mission. As troops leave, they may still guard UN staff, sites and convoys. Within their means and area, they may rescue UN staff or aid workers and help protect civilians and civilian-led aid delivery. These tasks require cooperation and talks with Lebanon’s government.
The resolution aims for the Lebanese state to take charge of security. It calls for other countries to provide funds and equipment to help its army deploy in the south. A small guard force may stay during the later work to close the mission and deal with its assets.
The Commons Library describes plans for smaller UN observer forces and a possible multinational force. These are options, not an agreed replacement. Ardiel told UN News that the question of what comes next remained open on November 11.
Under the current resolution, the mission must stop regular work on December 31, 2026, and withdraw within one year of that date. The UN chief must keep the Council informed throughout. That process must involve talks with Lebanon and the countries that supply troops and police.
Sources: UN resolutions 425 and 426, UN resolution 1701, UN resolution 2790, UK explanation of vote, UN News, House of Commons Library
