❗️UN Security Council considers UNIFIL mandate ahead of 31 August deadline

 ❗️UN Security Council considers UNIFIL mandate ahead of 31 August deadline

The UN Security Council began discussions on Monday over a French-drafted resolution to renew the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate, which expires on 31 August, while also signaling plans for an eventual pullout of its forces.

According to a draft text seen by Reuters, the French proposal would have the council express “its intention to work on a withdrawal of UNIFIL with the aim of making the Lebanese Government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon, provided that the Government of Lebanon fully controls all Lebanese territory … and that the parties agree on a comprehensive political arrangement.”

Diplomats, speaking anonymously, said the US told a closed-door meeting on Monday that the mission should be extended only for one final year.

(Reuters)