On Thursday evening 31 August, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) welcomed the adoption on Wednesday of UN Security Council Resolution 2373 renewing the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The mandate expired at the end of August and has been extended for a year.
In the spokesperson’s press release, it was pointed out that the EU “reaffirms its full support to UNIFIL, including its maritime component, whose deployment, alongside the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), is crucial to maintain stability and security in southern Lebanon and along the Lebanese shores”. The spokesperson stated that in order to fulfil its mandate it is important that “UNIFIL is provided with the necessary means and equipment to guarantee its full operational capability”. The spokesperson added that “in parallel, assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces must continue to allow it to maintain security across the country and fight terrorism”.
More than 10,000 peacekeepers have been deployed in southern Lebanon as part of the mission. At the beginning of August, the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, explained that he wanted to examine the possibilities for improving the mission in an effort to oppose “the illegal presence of armed personnel, weapons and infrastructure in its operation zones”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)