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<div class="gmail-inner-article-top"><h1 class="gmail-">US, Israel agree to end UNIFIL mandate in south Lebanon: Report </h1><p class="gmail-">Israel recently launched its largest attack on Beirut in months, and has threatened to intensify attacks against Lebanon</p><div class="gmail-another-name"><p><a href="https://thecradle.co/authors/news-desk-9" style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">News Desk</a></p></div><div class="gmail-another-name" style="margin-top:16px"><p><span style="color:rgb(84,88,94)">JUN 9, 2025</span></p></div></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-img"><img src="https://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles/e8fd599a-451b-11f0-a4a9-00163e02c055.webp" alt="" width="467" height="263" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span>(Photo credit: Reuters)</span></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-content"><div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-col-md-8 gmail-col-sm-7"><div class="gmail-article-content"><span class="gmail-article-body"><p>The US and Israel have <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-857002">agreed </a>that
the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) must cease its
operations in the country\u2019s south, according to Hebrew media outlets. </p><p>Washington has decided not to renew UNIFIL\u2019s mandate, and Israel \u201cdid not try to convince them otherwise,\u201d the report said. </p><p>A vote on the UNIFIL mandate is expected to take place at the UN Security Council within the next few months, likely in August.</p><p>Another report in <i>Israel Hayom</i> said the US is considering pulling support for UNIFIL. Sources told <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-said-to-mull-dissolving-un-peacekeeping-force-in-southern-lebanon/"><i>Times of Israel</i> </a>that the \u201coption is on the table.\u201d</p><p>\u201cThe
US has not yet made up its mind regarding its future support for
UNIFIL, but it wants to see major reforms, which could mean pulling
support,\u201d the sources added. </p><p>No officials from the US, Israel, or the UN have publicly commented on the matter yet.</p><p>UNIFIL,
which was established in 1978 and expanded after Israel's war on
Lebanon in 2006, currently includes more than 13,000 uniformed personnel
tasked with monitoring hostilities along the Blue Line and ensuring
humanitarian access.</p><p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for UNIFIL\u2019s removal from Lebanon since as far back as October 2024.</p><p>Analysts
have said that the move is intended to eliminate international
observers who could monitor or document Israeli military activity in
southern Lebanon. During the latest war, UNIFIL forces <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles-id/27336">came under Israeli fire</a> several times.</p><p>\u201cThe
exclusion of outside observers, whether it is journalists or UN
peacekeepers, seems a deliberate strategy to limit the scrutiny of
Israeli forces at a time when they are most needed,\u201d Shane Darcy,
professor at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/16/netanyahu-wants-unifil-out-of-lebanon-why">said</a> last year during Israel\u2019s ground operation in Lebanon. </p><p>Other
reports and analyses have said that Washington is looking to pressure
Beirut into accepting a new mandate for UNIFIL, including changes that
would see the interim force actively work against Hezbollah\u2019s presence
in the south and destroy infrastructure without needing to coordinate
with the Lebanese army. </p><p>Such changes to the UNIFIL mandate are
advocated for by Israeli reservist and former head of the Israeli army\u2019s
Strategic Planning Division, Assaf Orion, in a 29 May piece for the <a href="https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/unifils-fork-road">Washington Institute</a>. \u201cThe time has come for UNIFIL to either adapt or disband,\u201d Orion says. </p><p>The
Israeli media reports about UNIFIL\u2019s future in Lebanon come days after
Tel Aviv launched its largest attacks on the Lebanese capital since the
start of the ceasefire. </p><p>Since the truce was reached in November
2024, Israel has violated the deal over 3,000 times with constant
attacks. Israeli forces also maintain an occupation of five locations
inside Lebanon, which they established themselves in after the
ceasefire, in violation of the agreement.</p><p>Hezbollah and the
Lebanese state have abided by the agreement. The resistance has handed
over weapons and military positions to the Lebanese army south of the
Litani River.</p><p>Yet it rejects US and Israeli pressure for full disarmament.</p><p>On 6 June, Israel\u2019s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles-id/31235">threatened</a> Lebanon with an escalation of attacks if Hezbollah is not disarmed. </p><p>\u201cThere will be no calm in Beirut, and no order or stability in Lebanon, without security for Israel,\u201d he said. </p></span></div></div></div></div>
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