BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warned against ending the United Nations peacekeepers' mandate in the country's south, after the UN Security Council began debating extending their mission. The annual mandate renewal this year comes after Lebanese authorities, under heavy US pressure, have committed to disarming Hezbollah by year's end, following a November ceasefire deal with Israel.
"Any timetable for the mandate of UNIFIL that is different from the actual needs will negatively impact the situation in the south, which still suffers from Israeli occupation," Aoun told force commander Diodato Abagnara, according to a presidency statement. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon has been deployed since 1978 to separate Israel and Lebanon and counts some 10,000 personnel from around 50 countries.
Aoun said Beirut "has begun contacts with Security Council member states, and brotherly and friendly countries, to ensure the extension" of UNIFIL's mandate. He cited Lebanon's need for the force to help "maintain security and stability in the south" and to support the army following the government's decision to increase troop numbers there to 10,000 personnel. — AFP
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