JERUSALEM—The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the U.N. peacekeeping mission established after the 2006 Lebanon War, may soon face a critical decision on its continuation at the U.N. Security Council. As the Trump administration reviews its stance on the mandate, Israeli and U.S. experts are mounting pressure for the mission to be terminated due to its failure to curb Hezbollah’s growing military might. UNIFIL, tasked with preventing Hezbollah from rearming after the 2006 conflict, has been criticized for its inability to stop the group from becoming the largest non-state terrorist and military organization in the Middle East.
Former U.S. Ambassador David Friedman, who served during the Trump administration, told Fox News Digital that UNIFIL’s failure represents one of the most glaring shortcomings of the United Nations in addressing regional conflicts. “Among countless failures by the United Nations in the Middle East, UNIFIL may be the most spectacular. Tasked with ensuring that Hezbollah would not rearm after the 2006 war, it patiently watched as Hezbollah became the largest non-state terrorist and military organization in the world,” Friedman said. He argued that stability in Lebanon is now only achievable through Israeli military actions, not through UNIFIL’s presence.
The U.N. Security Council is set to review the mandate in late August, with the Trump administration expected to decide whether to renew it. However, several U.S. and Israeli officials have called for the Trump administration to withdraw support for the mission, citing its ineffectiveness in enforcing disarmament. Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon previously accused UNIFIL of failing to prevent Hezbollah from establishing military outposts on the border with Israel. Recent Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon have revealed such outposts, filled with explosives and mines, highlighting UNIFIL’s inability to fulfill its mandate.
The Trump administration has yet to make an official statement on the potential termination of UNIFIL’s mandate, though U.S. State Department officials told Fox News Digital they have