UNIFIL faces local pushback in Lebanon’s south amid Israeli calls to end mission — what’s next for the force?

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Amid Israeli calls to oppose the renewal of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's (UNIFIL) mandate in the country's south and end its mission in August, a series of incidents and protests has emerged in southern villages. 

Local residents have objected to UNIFIL patrols operating in their neighborhoods and on their land without accompaniment by the Lebanese army.

Why, then, is UNIFIL conducting patrols and missions without the army? Or, put differently: If the presence of the army helps ease tensions between UNIFIL and the Hezbollah-supportive population, why isn’t the army always present?

According to Lebanese sources, UNIFIL carries out daily joint operations with the army but also conducts separate patrols and missions on its own.

The limited number of army personnel in the south does not allow for the accompaniment of all UNIFIL patrols, and Resolution 1701 grants the U.N. peacekeeping force the right to move independently. 

Most UNIFIL patrols, whether or not accompanied by the army, do not result in incidents.

The sources add that local objections often stem from specific actions UNIFIL carries out — such as entering private property or filming homes — actions that typically do not occur when the army is present. 

Trust between the local population and UNIFIL remains low, especially as it frequently conducts operations near Hezbollah-affiliated villages and facilities and sometimes brings media crews along. 

Meanwhile, it is seen as doing little in practice to confront Israeli violations or enforce the ceasefire.

The recurrence of incidents involving specific units has led some Lebanese observers to suggest that there may be an internal push within UNIFIL to assert its role and presence, even in the face of local objections. 

This could serve to build momentum for modifying the mission ahead of its renewal in two months, aligning with Israeli efforts to end or alter the current UNIFIL mandate.

According to the same sources, the current Israeli pressure to terminate the mission resembles the kinds of pressure applied in past years as the renewal deadline approached each August. 

This time, it is being framed as part of a broader push on Lebanon and Hezbollah to accept a change in UNIFIL’s role — particularly in light of the new reality following the war, the losses Hezbollah has sustained, its military pullback from south of the Litani River, and the dismantling of its infrastructure in the area.

While several sources confirm that Hezbollah has not decided to escalate or intentionally provoke recent incidents with UNIFIL, the group insists that UNIFIL’s activities must be carried out in coordination with the Lebanese army.