Vital to keep a UN force in Lebanon after current peacekeepers depart: Guterres

(AFP/Al Arabiya) UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday that peacekeepers will be needed in Lebanon after the mandate of the current mission expires at year-end – an option likely to face opposition from the United States and Israel. Last August, the UN Security Council, under US pressure, decided to end the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on December 31, 2026. However, it asked Guterres to propose options by June 1 to allow UN peacekeepers to remain in Lebanon, particularly to monitor the Blue Line, which stretches for 120 kilometers (75 miles), marking the de facto border between Lebanon and Israel – now the middle of the Israel-Hezbollah war. –  Vital to keep a UN force in Lebanon after current peacekeepers depart: Guterres