As members of the UN Security Council negotiate the renewal of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ahead of a 31 August deadline, the mission’s future role and capacity are under intense debate.
UNIFIL has long been a stabilising presence in southern Lebanon, working alongside the Lebanese armed forces, mediating between parties, and supporting local communities.
A key part of its mandate is to implement Security Councilresolution 1701, which brought an end to the 2006 hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militants.
Yet challenges remain, from Israeli military positions inside Lebanon to Hezbollah’s arsenal and the broader question of how resolution 1701 – which calls for a complete end to hostilities – can be fully implemented.
According to media reports, last-ditch negotiations are underway over the mission’s future, with some diplomats warning of risks to border stability and others voicing tepid support or pressing for full withdrawal.
Earlier this week, Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for UNIFIL, sat down with UN News’s Nancy Sarkis to discuss the mission’s effectiveness, the risks of a non-renewal, and what is at stake for Lebanon, Israel, and regional stability.
© UNIFIL
UNIFIL peacekeepers on patrol (file)
This interview has been edited for clarity
UN News: UNIFIL’s mandate, which expires at the end of August, needs to be renewed by the UN Security Council. Why is this renewal important, and how do you assess UNIFIL’s effectiveness so far?
Andrea Tenenti: The renewal comes after a long crisis that has devastated the region and destroyed most of the areas close to the Blue Line. It would show the importance of maintaining an international peacekeeping operation to assist the Lebanese army [Lebanese Armed Forces, or LAF] in their full deployment.
That’s what we have been doing from the very beginning, and in the last several months since November, after the cessation of hostilities, the LAF has brought more troops to the south, and we have been working with them in being deployed in all these positions, although the real challenge at the moment is that we still have Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] positions present in the south of the country.
UN News: To what extent are the Lebanese armed forces ready to assume full responsibility in southern Lebanon without the support of peacekeepers, and what challenges do they face in doing so?
Andrea Tenenti: Right now, the Lebanese army don’t have the capacities and capabilities to be fully deployed. There is a financial crisis in the country, and they need capacity and capability support from UNIFIL, and the financial support of the international community to have a sustainable presence and to bring State authority to the south.
The Lebanese army and authorities have demonstrated their full commitment to resolution 1701. However, they cannot be fully deployed if the IDF are still present; the presence of the IDF in the south is a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and resolution 1701. There needs to be commitment from both sides.
UN News: If the UNIFIL mandate is not renewed, what are the potential consequences for regional stability?
Andrea Tenenti: The situation is much better than before, but very, very fragile. Anything could jeopardise the situation in the south. A lack of renewal would create a real vacuum for stability of the region. It would create a very dangerous precedent and situation for the stability of the country, and it would make impartial monitoring very difficult.
UN News: UNIFIL has faced criticism from Lebanon, Israel, and internationally. How do you respond to these criticisms, and what step can be taken to strengthen trust and credibility?
Andrea Tenenti: Criticism goes with the job of any peacekeeping mission. In order to be impartial, staying in the middle and trying to assist the parties in the implementation of the mission’s mandate, you will be criticised by both sides.
Sometimes, the criticism is driven by a misconception of the mission’s mandate. For example, resolution 1701 does not call for UNIFIL to disarm Hezbollah. This is not our mandate. We are to support the Lebanese army to do it, and that’s what we are doing right now.
On the Lebanese side, we have been criticised for patrolling without the Lebanese army, but as part of 1701 we are tasked to operate either with the Lebanese army or independently.
This is something that the Lebanese army and Lebanese authorities know very well. Sometimes it’s a matter of disinformation and misinformation about the role of the mission, and we are trying to counter that as much as we can.
UN News: What is your vision for UNIFIL’s role in the coming years, and do you see it as a short-term necessity or as a part of a long-term regional security framework?
Andrea Tenenti: At the moment, UNIFIL is very much needed to support the stability of the region, bring back the Lebanese army to the south – and return State authority that has been not present for a very long time. But it has to be a south free from occupation – that’s the only way to move forward.
The goal of the mission has always been to leave and hand over all our capabilities and tasks to the Lebanese authorities, but a lot needs to be done. To ensure stability in the region, we have to be pragmatic on the timetable.
