BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 17. Lebanon’s Parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Committee has called on the UN Security Council to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and support the full implementation of Resolution 1701 amid continuing Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, the committee held a session aimed at coordinating diplomatic efforts concerning UNIFIL’s future and the security situation along Lebanon’s southern border.
The meeting was chaired by MP Fadi Allameh and attended by Defence Minister Michel Mansi, as well as ambassadors representing member states of the UN Security Council.
Participants discussed UNIFIL’s role in southern Lebanon, where the peacekeeping mission operates under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and is involved in monitoring the security situation and supporting arrangements linked to the Israeli-Hezbollah ceasefire.
“The presence of UNIFIL is a fundamental pillar of stability and the only mechanism for communication to prevent friction and escalation along the Blue Line,” Allameh said.
He stressed that the Lebanese army’s deployment south of the Litani River requires continued cooperation with UNIFIL to ensure that the process moves forward “without creating any security gaps”.
Allameh also called for what he described as a “realistic approach” under which any changes to UNIFIL’s mandate would be linked to progress in the deployment and capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
He cautioned against departing from previously established timelines while Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon continue.
The committee’s discussions come as Lebanese officials seek international support for maintaining UNIFIL’s presence and implementing Resolution 1701 while strengthening the Lebanese army’s role in the south.
