UNIFIL’s Termination: A Force Set Up to Fail?
The UN Security Council has decided to terminate the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon by the end of 2026. The decision follows decades of structural challenges and intensified criticism from both Israel and Hizballah regarding the force's effectiveness.
Why it matters
The end of this long-standing peacekeeping mission marks a significant shift in the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East and the future of UN intervention.
The year 2026 marks the last year of operations for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). After almost fifty years in place, the United Nations (UN) Security Council decided to discontinue its mandate starting in 2027. This article argues that the force has been unable to fulfill its long-term mission due to a structural difficulty: it has never benefited from local and international consensus necessary for its success.
The article provides a historical overview and presents multiple perspectives on the mission's failure without taking a definitive side.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in