Libanon

The US and Israel have reportedly agreed to ending the mission of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, Israel Hayom reported yesterday. … The report stated that the United States is seeking to reduce the costs associated with running the UN peacekeeping mission, while Israel believes that its coordination with the Lebanese army is sufficient and effective enough to make UNIFIL’s continued presence unnecessary.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Major General Diodato Abagnara of Italy as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

[…] Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meanwhile said in an interview with Sky News Arabia that the army was now in control of over 85 percent of the country’s south.

Israel struck south Beirut on Sunday for the third time since a fragile November 27 ceasefire, prompting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to call on its guarantors, France and the US, to force a halt.

Israeli military operations in Lebanon have continued to claim civilian lives and destroy vital infrastructure, the UN human rights office warned on Tuesday, raising alarm over mounting violations since a ceasefire agreement took effect last November.

The United Nations on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the latest escalation of violence in Lebanon, despite the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, following an Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut that reportedly killed four people – including a woman – and injured several others.

Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Lebanon in response to a rocket attack from across the border on Saturday, as militant group Hezbollah denied responsibility for the launch. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered “a second wave of strikes against dozens of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon,” the defense ministry said, in the largest escalation since a November 27 ceasefire.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to engage in negotiations to address their long-standing land border disputes, marking a significant diplomatic breakthrough. The decision comes following mediation efforts led by US officials, who played a key role in bringing both sides to the table.

Israel and the United States have responded with silence to claims by Hezbollah that the two allies secretly threatened Lebanon this month into stopping the arrivals of Iranian commercial airliners delivering cash to the Lebanese terror group. 

Israeli forces have pulled out from towns and villages in southern Lebanon but remain in five locations along the border in what the Lebanese government describes as a violation of a ceasefire deal.