 | |
 UNIFIL deployment, as of 2018 | |
| Abbreviation | UNIFIL |
|---|---|
| Formation | 19 March 1978 |
| Type | Peacekeeping mission |
| Legal status | Active |
| Headquarters | Naqoura, Lebanon |
Head | Head of Mission   Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz |
Parent organization | United Nations Security Council |
| Website | unifil.unmissions.org |
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Arabic: قوة الأمم المتحدة المؤقتة في لبنان, Hebrew: כוח האו"ם הזמני בלבנון), or UNIFIL (Arabic: يونيفيل, Hebrew: יוניפי״ל), is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, and several further resolutions in 2006 to confirm Hezbollah demilitarisation, support Lebanese army operations against insurgents and weapon smuggling, and confirming Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, in order to ensure that the government of Lebanon would restore its effective authority in the area.[1] The 1978 South Lebanon conflict came in the context of Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon and the Lebanese Civil War.
The mandate had to be adjusted due to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and after the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. Following the 2006 Lebanon War, the United Nations Security Council enhanced UNIFIL and added additional tasks to the mandate such as aiding displaced persons.
UNIFIL's mandate is renewed annually by the United Nations Security Council; it was most recently extended on 28 August 2024 with the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2749. It is composed of 10,000 peacekeepers from 46 nations, tasked with helping the Lebanese Army keep the south of the country protected from "unauthorized armed personnel, such as Hezbollah".[2] Its funding is approved on an annual basis by the General Assembly. It had a budget of $474 million for the period July 2018 to June 2019.[3]
- ^ "Extracts relating to Article 98 of the Charter of the United Nations: Supplement No 5 (1970–1978)" (PDF). Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs. United Nations. pp. §275–279. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2006.
- ^ "UNIFIL mandate renewed, peacekeepers to help Lebanese Army". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 30 August 2021.
- ^ "Approved resources for peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019". United Nations General Assembly. United Nations. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.