HAMILTON, Canada

The UN Security Council on Friday expressed support for the commitments made by the Lebanese government to exercise sovereignty over its entire territory.

"The members of the Security Council welcomed the efforts and commitments of the Lebanese government to exercise its sovereignty over its whole territory, through the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and recognize no authority other than that of the Government of Lebanon," said a council statement, urging for global support to "the Lebanese Armed Forces in order to ensure their effective and sustainable deployment South of the Litani River."

Council members also "reiterated their full support to UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon), urged all parties to take all measures to respect the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and premises and recalled that peacekeepers must never be targeted by attack."

"They called on all parties to comply with their commitments under the Cessation of Hostilities arrangement between Israel and Lebanon of 26 November 2024 as well as with their obligations under international humanitarian law, including regarding the protection of civilians," the statement said.

"The members welcomed the willingness of the Government of Lebanon to delineate and demarcate its border with the Syrian Arab Republic and its efforts to prevent smuggling," it added.

Council members further "called for the full implementation of Security Council resolutions 1701 (2006) and 1559 (2004)."

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

Cross-border warfare between Hezbollah and Israeli forces began in October 2023. It escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring 17,000.

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israel has conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon since then, claiming to target Hezbollah activities.

Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon earlier this year, but it still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.