ISTANBUL

Lebanon is committed to maintaining the presence of the UN peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) in the south for as long as necessary to ensure the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Tuesday.

In a meeting with UNIFIL Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara, Aoun stressed that the Lebanese army will continue its deployment until the international border is fully secured.

He underlined “the importance of cooperation between the army, UNIFIL forces, and residents of southern towns and villages” to maintain stability in the area.

“Lebanon is committed to keeping the international forces in the south for as long as it takes to implement Resolution 1701 and to complete the deployment of the Lebanese army up to the international border,” he said in his comments cited by a presidency statement.

He said Beirut has begun contacts with “brotherly and friendly countries to secure the extension of UNIFIL, given Lebanon’s need for it.”

The Lebanese president stressed the necessity of “maintaining security and stability in the south,” following a government’s decision to increase army forces in the south to 10,000 troops, “which requires cooperation with UNIFIL.”

Aoun praised the relationship between the UN peacekeeping force and residents of southern towns and villages, “who receive constant care and health, social, and educational support from the countries contributing to UNIFIL.”

Resolution 1701, passed in 2006, calls for a complete halt to hostilities between the Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel and the establishment of a weapons-free zone between the Blue Line, a de facto border, and the Litani River in southern Lebanon, with exceptions for the Lebanese army and the UNIFIL.

UNIFIL has operated in southern Lebanon since 1978 and was significantly reinforced under the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 after the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Its current mandate expires on Aug. 31, 2025, unless renewed by the UN Security Council.

On Monday, the UN Security Council began discussions on a draft resolution prepared by France to extend the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

According to Israeli media, Israel has officially asked the US to terminate the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

Israel launched a military offensive in Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring around 17,000.

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah activities.

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.