UN Security Council Renews Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday unanimously voted to extend a long-running peacekeeping mission in Lebanon for another year.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) - established in 1978 - patrols Lebanon’s southern border with Israel. The mandate for the operation is renewed annually, and its current authorization was due to expire on Saturday.

The vote came just days after the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Israeli military engaged in one of the most intense exchanges of fire between them over the last 10 months amid fears that Israel’s war in Gaza would become a wider regional conflict.