The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon will begin withdrawing from southern Lebanon when its mandate expires on 31 December 2026, the mission confirmed on 5 November, closing a peacekeeping deployment that has lasted nearly half a century — with no successor force yet agreed and the Security Council still weighing what, if anything, replaces it.
UNIFIL said in a statement that it still plans to exit at the end of the year despite calls from Lebanon for its mandate to be extended. "Under Security Council resolution 2790 (2025), UNIFIL's mandate in Lebanon will end on 31 December 2026. The Mission will then begin the process of its drawdown and withdrawal," the force said.
Until then, the mission said, "peacekeepers from 45 countries will continue their daily operations as usual across south Lebanon, including monitoring and reporting developments, liaising with the parties, supporting the Lebanese Army, and facilitating humanitarian missions."
What UNIFIL announced
The statement, reported by The Times of Israel on 5 November, ends months of uncertainty about whether the mission would seek — or be granted — another extension. Lebanon had pressed for its mandate to continue, and the force's own spokesman had said in September that the Security Council would decide the mission's future after its mandate expired. The November statement makes the timetable explicit: operations stop at the end of the year, and the drawdown begins.
UNIFIL added that "the Security Council is considering options for the period after UNIFIL's mandate ends, including future monitoring and reporting along the Blue Line," the UN-drawn line marking Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. "Decisions on any future arrangements rest with the Security Council."
UNIFIL is the UN's longest-running peacekeeping mission in the Middle East and, by one measure, its deadliest: 346 of its personnel have been killed since 1978, more than in any other UN peacekeeping mission, according to the UN's peacekeeping department.
How the withdrawal will work
Resolution 2790, adopted unanimously by the Security Council in August 2025, sets out the endgame. UNIFIL will cease operations on 31 December 2026 and then withdraw its personnel over the following year, in consultation with the Lebanese government. Most uniformed personnel are expected to be gone by mid-2027.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 5 November 2026 | UNIFIL confirms it will exit at the end of the year |
| 31 December 2026 | Mandate ends; regular operations cease |
| 2027 | Orderly drawdown and withdrawal, within one year |
| Mid-2027 | Withdrawal of most uniformed personnel expected to be complete |
As it withdraws, UNIFIL positions are to be handed over to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). That handover may not be straightforward: the mission's head has said handing over some sites may be "very difficult", because around half of UNIFIL's sites are in Israeli-controlled territory, according to reporting from September 2026. During the drawdown period, the force will continue to provide security and other support for UN personnel and installations and contribute to protecting civilians and the delivery of aid.
A smaller UN mission, the UN Truce Supervision Organization, which monitors compliance with the 1949 armistice agreement between Israel and Lebanon, will remain after UNIFIL's withdrawal.
Why the mission is ending
The decision to end UNIFIL was taken in August 2025, when the Security Council voted unanimously to renew the mandate for a final time, until December 2026. The vote followed the Israel-Hezbollah conflict of 2023–24 and came amid sustained criticism of the force from Israel and the United States, which argued it had taken insufficient action to prevent Hezbollah's military build-up in southern Lebanon.
Israel told the Security Council in August 2025 that UNIFIL had "failed in its mandate" and "completely failed to prevent Hezbollah's ongoing military build-up within its area of operations". The United States has said the force was only ever intended to be "interim" — the "I" in UNIFIL — and, under the second Trump administration, has been seeking to reduce its contributions to UN peacekeeping missions. Washington made no request to Congress for UNIFIL funding in 2026.
UNIFIL's defenders note that its mandate never included disarming Hezbollah or forcing the exit of Israeli forces. Under Resolution 1701 (2006), the force's job is to assist the Lebanese army and the Israeli military, maintain a buffer zone free of unauthorised armed personnel between the Blue Line and the Litani River, help secure Lebanon's borders against unauthorised arms, and monitor the cessation of hostilities.
The vacuum question
Lebanese officials have warned that UNIFIL's departure could leave a security vacuum in the south. The UN's peacekeeping chief, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, warned in October that departure without strong alternative arrangements "would create a significant security vacuum".
On Thursday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed Lebanon's commitment to UNIFIL remaining in the country given the "important role" it plays. If an extension of the mandate is not possible, he said, Lebanon would welcome any "brotherly or friendly" country willing to continue aspects of the mission's work, adding that contacts are under way "to find the legal formula for such an international presence" to support the Lebanese army and residents of the south.
The force's spokesman, Dany Ghafri, told Anadolu news agency that the situation in the mission's area of operations had "changed radically" since Resolution 2790 was adopted. "The Israeli army is present in a large part of UNIFIL's area of operations," he said, adding that Israeli airstrikes and shelling continue, although at a lower pace than in March and April. He said UNIFIL had not monitored projectiles from the Lebanese side since June, and that the mission monitors the Israeli army's presence north of the Blue Line, which it regards as a violation of Resolution 1701.
What happens on the ground after 31 December is unresolved. No successor force has been agreed, and the Security Council has not set a date to decide. Any new UN-mandated force would need a Security Council resolution — and could be vetoed by any of the five permanent members.
What could replace UNIFIL
Three options are formally on the table. In June 2026, as required by Resolution 2790, UN Secretary-General António Guterres presented the Security Council with three proposals for a continued UN presence, each smaller than the current mission and each built around unarmed military observers backed by troops for force protection. The largest would total 5,525 personnel and could monitor about two-thirds of the Blue Line from static positions; the smallest, 1,980 personnel, would rely mostly on technology and would have only limited capacity to monitor violations of Resolution 1701.
Lebanon's government has said its first preference is a reversal of the Security Council's decision, or failing that, a new international force. Some European states, notably France and Italy, have said they would be prepared to contribute to such a force. China and Russia have backed a UN-mandated force. Israel, by contrast, opposes the deployment of new international forces in the area: its ambassador to the UN said in August 2026 that such missions "could provide Hezbollah with a platform to rebuild its strength".
Separately, the European Union established the EU Support Mission in Lebanon on 12 October, with an initial three-year term — but it still needs a separate launch decision after operational planning, and no launch date has been set. Germany plans to continue training Lebanon's military after UNIFIL ends, and its parliament has authorised up to 80 personnel to remain through 30 June 2027.
Resolution 1701 itself is not in doubt. "Resolution 1701 remains valid, and its principles remain in place," Ghafri said. A separate framework agreement between Lebanon, Israel and the United States, signed in June 2026 and centred on Hezbollah's disarmament and Israeli withdrawal, does not include a role for UNIFIL — but Ghafri said its principles could sit within those of Resolution 1701, and that UNIFIL was "ready to assist if asked to do so".
A mission that was always "interim"
UNIFIL was established in March 1978 by Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and help the Lebanese government reassert control. Its mandate was expanded in 2006, after the Israel-Hezbollah war of that year, when Resolution 1701 raised its authorised strength to 15,000 personnel.
As of August 2026 the force numbered around 7,500 troops from 45 countries, with Italy, Indonesia, India and Spain providing the largest contingents, of roughly 700 to 800 troops each. The mission is currently headed by Major General Diodato Abagnara of Italy.
"The mission's goal is to restore stability to its area of operations before the end of its mandate, and this must be accompanied by the safe return of residents to their villages."
That goal — restoring stability and enabling residents to return — is the standard against which the withdrawal will be judged. Ghafri warned that demolitions and explosions in areas occupied by the Israeli army, and major damage to civilian infrastructure, were "very dangerous", not only for their physical impact but for their psychological effect on residents considering returning to their villages.
Frequently asked questions
When does UNIFIL actually leave?
Regular operations end on 31 December 2026. The drawdown and withdrawal then take place over the following year, with most uniformed personnel expected to be gone by mid-2027. Not every peacekeeper leaves on 1 January.
Who takes over in southern Lebanon?
Under Resolution 2790, the Lebanese Armed Forces assume sole responsibility for security in the south, taking over UNIFIL positions as the mission withdraws. Whether the army is ready to do so across the whole area of operations is contested — around half of UNIFIL's sites are in territory currently controlled by Israel.
Is there a replacement force?
Not yet. The UN Secretary-General has proposed three smaller options, the EU has created a support mission that has not yet launched, and France and Italy have said they would contribute to a new force. Israel opposes a new international force, and any UN-mandated successor needs a Security Council resolution.
Does Resolution 1701 still apply?
Yes. UNIFIL and the Secretary-General have both said Resolution 1701 remains valid and would be the overarching framework for any successor mission. The 2026 Lebanon-Israel-US framework agreement does not mention it, but its principles are described as compatible.
What happens to the UN presence in Lebanon?
UNIFIL leaves, but the UN does not disappear from Lebanon. The UN Truce Supervision Organization, a smaller observer mission, remains, and UN agencies continue their humanitarian and development work in the country.
Key takeaways
- UNIFIL confirmed on 5 November that it will begin withdrawing from southern Lebanon when its mandate ends on 31 December 2026.
- Resolution 2790, adopted unanimously in August 2025, gave the mission a final mandate; the drawdown runs through 2027, with most troops out by mid-2027.
- About 7,500 peacekeepers from 45 countries serve in the force, which has operated since 1978 and lost 346 personnel — the most of any UN mission.
- No successor has been agreed: the Secretary-General has proposed three smaller options, the EU has created a mission that has not launched, and Israel opposes a new force.
- Lebanon warns of a security vacuum; the UN peacekeeping chief has said departure without strong alternative arrangements would create one.
What to watch next is whether the Security Council takes up the Secretary-General's options before the mandate expires — and whether the Lebanese army's deployment, the EU mission's launch decision, or a new diplomatic initiative fills the gap before the last peacekeepers leave. With seven weeks to go, the clock is now the story: the mission is ending on a fixed date, and the arrangements meant to replace it are not yet in place.
