France and Lebanon Push to Extend UNIFIL Mandate Past 2026 Despite Israeli Objections
France and Lebanon are pushing to extend UNIFIL's peacekeeping mandate in southern Lebanon past 2026, drawing strong opposition from Israel as international diplomats debate post-conflict security arrangements.
France and Lebanon are pushing to extend the United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon beyond the end of 2026, despite fierce Israeli opposition. According to a Financial Times report, Beirut warned the Security Council that ending UNIFIL's mandate on December 31 would be "premature" and requested a limited extension of the current arrangement.
In a letter sent to the Security Council this month, the Lebanese government argued that the security situation in the region has changed fundamentally since the 2025 decision to wind down UNIFIL's mission. Three sources familiar with the discussions said France and most Security Council members expressed support for the Lebanese request, despite significant pushback from Israel, which has long argued that the force has failed to fulfill its mandate.
The effort to keep UNIFIL—which currently numbers more than 7,000 troops and staff—in southern Lebanon comes at a particularly sensitive time. Israel currently maintains a significant presence in southern Lebanon and continues to carry out strikes in the area following the latest renewed conflict with Hezbollah. The Iran-backed Shiite organization continues to reject demands to disarm.
The United States has been one of the primary supporters of completely ending UNIFIL's mission, which has operated in Lebanon for nearly five decades. However, according to the report, it remains unclear whether Washington will use its veto if France brings a new resolution extending the mandate to a vote in the Security Council.
Mounting Diplomatic Pressures
France has spent months trying to build international support for a new force to replace UNIFIL, which would among other things provide military assistance and training to the Lebanese Armed Forces. Some 600 French soldiers currently serve in UNIFIL, two of whom were killed last year in an attack Paris blamed on Hezbollah.
UNIFIL was established in 1978 following clashes between Israel and Palestinian groups operating from Lebanon. Over the years, its mandate and size were expanded, with peacekeepers from some 50 countries stationed in the south to monitor ceasefires and help maintain a zone free of unauthorized weapons.
Yet despite UNIFIL's presence, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah reignited following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, escalating into open warfare in the following year. In 2026, fighting flared again against the backdrop of broader regional tensions.
Israeli Opposition and Security Concerns
Israel's Ambassador to Israel at the UN strongly criticized the move to extend the force during a closed Security Council session. "For years, UNIFIL has failed to fulfill its mandated mission and failed to prevent Hezbollah's military buildup in southern Lebanon," he said. "The decision to end the mandate has already been made, and there is no reason to turn back."
Conversely, Lebanon, France, and most other Security Council members fear that withdrawing UNIFIL too quickly will create a security vacuum and further destabilize the region. Lebanese Ambassador to the UN Ahmed Arafa wrote in an appeal to the council that "the security reality in Lebanon and the Middle East has changed dramatically" since last year's decision.
