Israeli Forces Cross Litani River, UNIFIL Helpless Amid New Invasion Wave

Beirut, Lebanon – The mission of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is set to end on December 31, 2026, closing 48 years of peacekeeping operations. This week, Israel advanced deeper into Lebanese territory than at any time since the end of its nearly two-decade occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000. UNIFIL's inability to stop the invasion has sparked questions about its mission and peacekeeping effectiveness.

UNIFIL has faced criticism from both Israel and Lebanon for various failures. Israel often criticizes the force for not disarming Hezbollah or other non-state armed groups, even though Resolution 1701 – the mandate for UNIFIL in Lebanon – does not require this. Conversely, UNIFIL has also been accused of working against Lebanese armed groups fighting Israel.

“Israel has long accused UNIFIL of failing to prevent Hezbollah's military presence and rearmament, while Hezbollah and its supporters often accuse UNIFIL of acting in the service of Israeli intelligence and security interests,” said Imad Salamey, a Lebanese political analyst. “Both criticisms contain elements of political messaging and operational assessment, as each side seeks to shape public opinion and reinforce its own narrative about security, sovereignty, and responsibility in the conflict.”

Misdirected Criticism

Israel escalated its war against Lebanon on March 2, just hours after Hezbollah fired into Israel for the first time in over a year, opening a new chapter of disaster for the Lebanese people. Hezbollah said it was merely responding to more than a year of Israeli attacks on Lebanon and seeking revenge for the U.S.-Israeli assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israel, which had already occupied five points in southern Lebanon in defiance of the 2024 ceasefire agreement, then launched a new invasion of Lebanon – the boldest in decades. Since March 2, Israel has killed 3,412 people in the country, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, and displaced over 1.2 million, many multiple times.

Even before the latest assault, Israel had violated the 2024 ceasefire more than 10,000 times, according to the United Nations. In southern Lebanon, where UNIFIL operates, towns and villages have been flattened since the Israel-Hezbollah war erupted in October 2023. The pace and scale of destruction have surged since Israel's new attack in March, despite the ceasefire and multiple extensions.

UNIFIL was established during Israel's first invasion of Lebanon in 1978. Israel invaded again in 1982 and stayed until 2000, when it was forced to withdraw after fierce resistance from groups, particularly Hezbollah in the south. Resolution 1701 calls for an end to hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and requires the Lebanese government and UNIFIL to deploy forces to the south. Implementation of the resolution was also referenced in the 2024 ceasefire agreement negotiations. UNIFIL is not authorized to use force against Hezbollah, Israel, or any state or non-state actor except in self-defense.

“Over the past three years, UNIFIL's role has mainly been monitoring, observing, liaising, and reporting, not enforcement,” Salamey said. “The very name 'United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon' often creates expectations that this is a peace enforcement mission capable of stopping hostilities, but in reality, the force operates under significant political and operational constraints.”

Israel Doesn't Want 'Witnesses'

UNIFIL's mission has evolved over the years. After the July 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, the force's responsibility became enforcing obligations under Resolution 1701, according to Tilak Pokharel, a UNIFIL public information officer. Currently, Pokharel said UNIFIL is still fulfilling its responsibilities but faces obstacles from both warring sides. Israel has destroyed or damaged roads, set up checkpoints, while Hezbollah has planted mines on some routes.

UNIFIL peacekeepers have also been attacked multiple times since the conflict reignited. In April, a French soldier was killed while on patrol, with Paris blaming Hezbollah. Three other personnel were wounded in the village of Ghandouriyeh that same month. Israel has besieged UNIFIL bases and once dismantled cameras outside a facility. “Let's be honest,” a diplomatic source said. “They don't want witnesses.”

Next Tuesday, Lebanon and Israel are expected to resume direct negotiations at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. The two countries' militaries reportedly met on Friday to prepare for the talks. But the upcoming discussions have not eased the situation on the ground. Israel continues to push its invasion of southern Lebanon, announcing on Sunday that it had captured the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle. Israel has issued mandatory evacuation orders for two large southern towns, and on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had approved attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahiyeh.

Pokharel said Sunday also marked a serious escalation in the south, with UNIFIL recording the highest number of violations and projectile trajectories from both sides of the border since April 17, when U.S. President Donald Trump announced a pending ceasefire.

A Post-UNIFIL Future

Despite the ongoing war, European diplomats say there is strong European and Lebanese support for maintaining some form of monitoring in the country as UNIFIL begins to wind down and end operations later this year. At its peak, UNIFIL had about 15,000 troops in the south. But budget cuts have left it with just over 7,000. Pokharel said about 3,000 troops have left without replacement over the past six months. While the Lebanese government and many international community members want to extend UNIFIL's mandate, the United States voted against it.

A range of alternatives have been proposed, including a downsized U.N. force under the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), which has been present in Lebanon since 1947. That organization has only about 50 personnel. Diplomats said many European, African, and Asian countries have volunteered to contribute personnel to any entity replacing UNIFIL after 2027.

However, analysts argue that UNIFIL, or a replacement force, cannot alone bring peace to southern Lebanon. To do that, political consensus is needed in Lebanon and the wider region. Many observers believe Lebanon's fate is tied to peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran – Hezbollah's main patron. Trump has repeatedly said a deal is close, though the ceasefire between the two sides has been tested multiple times, including on Monday when Kuwait, a U.S. ally, said Iran had attacked it.

“No international force can successfully enforce a ceasefire, impose disarmament, or maintain long-term stability without broader political consensus both within Lebanon and the region,” Salamey said. “Ultimately, sustainable stability depends less on the design of an international force than on a regional framework where Israel accepts genuine peace based on mutual recognition of sovereignty and self-determination, including a just solution to the Palestine issue, while Lebanon achieves internal consensus on state authority and the monopoly on weapons.”