French-drafted UNIFIL resolution could shield Hezbollah as US stays silent
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's (UNIFIL) mandate is up for renewal at the end of August, and the French-authored text would buy the mission another year while also not giving a firm termination date, according to a draft obtained by Fox News Digital. However, it states that the ultimate goal is to have "the Lebanese government [be] the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon" as long as it "fully controls all Lebanese territory."
While applauding the end of hostilities, it also takes aim at Israel for its moves against Hezbollah terrorists operating across its border, noting in the draft that it, "Welcomes the cessation of hostilities arrangement between Israel and Lebanon of 26 November 2024 (S/2024/870), as a critical step towards full implementation of Resolution 1701, while noting with grave concerns the continuous violations of this arrangement, notably air and drone strikes on Lebanese territory, and requests the parties to faithfully implement its provisions, with the support of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in line with their respective mandates."
The draft also urges Israel to withdraw from its five remaining positions inside Lebanon, which Israel maintains are meant to counter Hezbollah. Israel would also be encouraged to take part in "diplomatic efforts" to delineate a border between itself and Lebanon. If the resolution were to pass in its current form, Lebanon would be responsible for manning the posts with the help of UNIFIL.
As part of its goal of clearing southern Lebanon of unauthorized armed personnel — primarily Hezbollah operatives — the resolution encourages the international community to back the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) so it can ensure the absence of armed factions between the Blue Line and the Litani River.
Following the Second Lebanon War in 2006, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1701, which outlined that UNIFIL and LAF would work to block Hezbollah's activity in southern Lebanon. However, this has not been the case and critics fear that French draft would only bolster a system that has already failed.
A senior policy analyst for the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) has voiced concern about renewing UNIFIL's mandate and called on the U.S. to veto it.
"UNIFIL has proven, over the course of decades, its failure to achieve any semblance of its stated purpose. UNIFIL was created in 1978, during the chaotic Lebanese Civil War, to try to stabilize Lebanon and prevent broader spillover," Yoni Tobin pointed out in an op-ed originally published by the Algemeiner. He also noted that UNIFIL has not acted against Hezbollah's building up its arsenal despite being given the green light to do so.
In the years since the resolution's passing, the terror organization has been active, with Israel uncovering networks of tunnels similar to those used by Hamas. Additionally, Hezbollah quickly joined in Hamas' war against Israel after the Oct. 7 massacre.
"Among countless failures by the United Nations in the Middle East, UNIFIL may be the most spectacular. Tasked with ensuring that Hezbollah would not rearm after the 2006 war, it patiently watched as Hezbollah became the largest non-state terrorist and military organization in the world," the former U.S. Ambassador during the first Trump administration, David Friedman, told Fox News Digital in June. "Stability in Lebanon — within reach only now that Israel has decapitated Hezbollah's leadership — will not be achieved through UNIFIL."
In October 2024, Fox News Digital reported that UNIFIL had failed to prevent Hezbollah's rapid rocket and weapons buildup since the mandate was implemented in 2006.
Pro-Hezbollah officials and soldiers within Lebanon's Army also remain a core problem, according to experts and media reports. In late January, a LAF chief reportedly sent a classified document to Hezbollah. The LAF's Suhil Bahij Gharb, who oversees military intelligence for southern Lebanon, secured the confidential material from a military facility run by the U.S., France and UNIFIL.
It remains unclear how the U.S. will vote on the resolution or whether it will seek revisions to the French-authored text.
The U.S. mission declined to comment, while the U.N. missions of Israel and France did not respond to Fox News Digital requests.
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