UNIFIL’s Uncertain Future
UN forces in Lebanon face challenges that could undermine the force’s credibility and status.
On May 14, UN Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous traveled to Beirut to meet with Lebanese officials. Taking place in the midst of the Syrian crisis, the visit was intended as a measure of reassurance regarding the determination of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to continue carrying out its mandate. During his meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Ladsous stated explicitly that rumors of a UNIFIL disengagement were “unfounded.”
Since 2006, an expanded UNIFIL has been a successful enterprise preserving the peace in south Lebanon. In fact, Israeli officers, Hezbollah fighters and UNIFIL officers all acknowledge that the area has experienced an unprecedented degree of stability. “Since the uprisings in Egypt and Syria, South Lebanon is oddly our most stable border,” one Israeli military planner told Al-Monitor.
The presence of UNIFIL is certainly not the sole factor explaining the peaceful status quo. The game of deterrence between Israel and Hezbollah also plays a role in it. Nevertheless, UNIFIL’s accomplishments should not be downplayed. When compared to the resources devoted to a typical peacekeeping operation, the number of contributing nations (38) as well as the overall number of troops (11,000) dedicated to UNIFIL has pointed to the seriousness of the international community’s commitment to maintaining quiet in southern Lebanon.
Today, however, the elements that helped UNIFIL successfully perform its mission are threatened. The first issue putting its operations at risk is the increasingly visible assertiveness of Hezbollah vis-à-vis peacekeepers in the south. As a French official in the Ministry of Defense reminded Al-Monitor, “UNIFIL heavily relies on cooperation with Hezbollah. There is no way it could perform its mission without this form of tacit coexistence.”
