Security Council Renews UNIFIL Mandate: “A Message to the Lebanese Government – Restrain Hezbollah”

In a U.N. Security Council meeting today, the UNIFIL peacekeeping force mandate in Lebanon was extended for another year. Members of the U.N. Security Council voted to renew the mandate until August 2020.

The new mandate includes a new provision which is a clear call on the Lebanese government to allow access to UNIFIL forces, as well as increased reporting on the transfer of weapons to terrorists in Lebanon.

“The updated mandate sends a clear message to the Lebanese government: restrain Hezbollah, said Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon. “The terrorist organization’s grip on southern Lebanon is intended to only harm the State of Israel and endanger the entire region. Israel will not accept such a reality, and calls on the international community to act resolutely against the Iranian proxy in Lebanon.”