Reports: US, Israel mulling end to UNIFIL's presence

U.S. officials are considering pulling American support from UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, in a bid to cut costs associated with its operations, the Israel Hayom newspaper reported Sunday evening, with US sources later confirming to The Times of Israel that the option was on the table.

Should the U.S. move ahead with its decision to pull support from the U.N. body, Israel will back the decision, Israel Hayom reported, both out of a desire to align itself with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and in light of the Israeli security establishment’s “cooperation with the Lebanese army since the ceasefire in November,” the Times of Israel said.

According to Israel Hayom, the presence of the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon has proven relatively effective in “beating back the threat of Hezbollah” and keeping the group from rearming itself, making “redundant” much of UNIFIL’s operations in the region.

Sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that the U.S. has not yet made up its mind regarding its future support for UNIFIL, but that it wants to see major reforms, which could mean pulling support.

As UNIFIL’s mandate is granted through a U.N. Security Council resolution each year, the U.S. could simply veto the next resolution, due to be put forward in August.

UNIFIL has been operating in southern Lebanon since 1978, when it was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area following the end of Israel’s first invasion of south Lebanon.

The U.N. peacekeeping force expanded its mission following the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to deploy along the Israeli border to help the Lebanese military extend its authority into the country’s south for the first time in decades.

Aimed at ending the 2006 war, Resolution 1701 also called for a full cessation of Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities and the disarmament of Hezbollah. UNIFIL’s mandate has been renewed annually ever since, although critics have questioned the efficacy of the force.

Following the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which put an end to more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war, the Lebanese Army moved into southern Lebanon to enforce the terms of the ceasefire, which itself is based on Resolution 1701.

The resolution requires Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters north of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the border — and dismantle all military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told the Wall Street Journal last month that his government had achieved 80 percent of its objectives regarding the disarmament of Hezbollah and other militias in the country’s south.

At the same time, the Israeli army has continued to launch strikes on Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure, alleging violations of the truce agreement. According to the Israeli army, over 180 Hezbollah operatives have been killed since the truce came into effect.