UN peacekeepers begin drawdown from southern Lebanon as mandate expires
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon plans to withdraw most of its troops by mid-2027, its spokesperson has said, following the expiration of the peacekeepers’ mandate at the end of this year.
UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel told AFP on Tuesday that “UNIFIL is planning to draw down and withdraw all, or substantially all, uniformed personnel by mid-year 2027”, with the pullout to be completed by year’s end.
The peacekeeping force has acted as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon for decades and has been assisting the Lebanese army in dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure near the Israeli border following a recent war between Israel and the Iran-backed group.
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Under pressure from the United States and Israel, the UN Security Council voted last year to end the force’s mandate on December 31, 2026, with an “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal” to be completed within one year.
After UNIFIL operations cease on December 31 this year, Ardiel said, “we begin the process of sending UNIFIL personnel and equipment home and transferring our UN positions to the Lebanese authorities”.
During the withdrawal period, the force will only be authorised to perform limited tasks such as protecting UN personnel and bases and overseeing a safe departure.
UNIFIL currently counts some 7,500 peacekeepers from 48 countries deployed in southern Lebanon. Ardiel said the force had reduced the number of peacekeepers in the region by almost 2,000 in recent months, “with a couple hundred more set to leave by May”.
She said the reduction was “a direct result” of a UN-wide financial crisis and the cost-saving measures all missions have been forced to implement, and was unrelated to the end of the force’s mandate.
UNIFIL patrols near the border and monitors violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. The resolution forms the basis of the current ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024.
Despite the November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, Israel has continued regular strikes on Lebanon, mainly saying it is targeting Hezbollah positions, and has maintained troops in five border areas. UNIFIL has repeatedly reported Israeli fire at or near its personnel since the truce took effect.
Lebanese authorities have indicated they want a continued international troop presence in the south after UNIFIL’s exit, even if numbers are limited, and have been urging European countries to maintain a presence.
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French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said during a visit to Beirut this month that Lebanon’s army should replace the force when the peacekeepers withdraw. Italy has separately announced it intends to keep a military presence in Lebanon after UNIFIL leaves.
UNIFIL was established in 1978 following Israel’s first invasion of southern Lebanon. Its mandate has been renewed multiple times over the decades, with the force’s role expanding after the 2006 war to include monitoring the cessation of hostilities and supporting the deployment of the Lebanese armed forces in the south.
The decision to end UNIFIL’s mandate represents a significant shift in the security architecture along the Israel-Lebanon border, raising questions about future stability in the region and the capacity of the Lebanese military to maintain order without international support.