Lebanon
Expected Council Action
In May, Council members expect to receive a briefing in consultations on the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of resolution 1559. Adopted in 2004, it called for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon, the disarmament of all militias, and the extension of government control over the whole Lebanese territory. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo is the anticipated briefer.
The mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expires on 31 August.
Key Recent Developments
The 26 November 2024 cessation-of-hostilities arrangement between Israel and Lebanon has continued to hold despite violations. Under the terms of the arrangement, which was brokered by France and the US, Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets in the territory of Lebanon, and the Lebanese government will prevent Hezbollah and all other armed groups from conducting operations against Israel. In addition, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) will dismantle unauthorised infrastructure and confiscate unauthorised arms, among other tasks.
The arrangement outlined a 60-day deadline for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to withdraw south of the Blue Line and, in parallel, for the LAF to deploy to positions south of the Litani River, a deadline that was later extended until 18 February. (The Blue Line is a withdrawal line set by the UN in 2000 to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. While not representing an international border, the Blue Line acts in practice as a boundary between Lebanon and Israel in the absence of an agreed-upon border between the two states.)
According to Israeli media reports, also cited by Lebanese news outlets, the US bilaterally provided additional guarantees to Israel with respect to the cessation-of-hostilities arrangement’s implementation, including recognising “Israel’s right to respond to Hezbollah threats”.
Since the cessation-of-hostilities arrangement, Israel has regularly carried out airstrikes in Lebanese territory, saying that it was targeting members of Hezbollah and weapon depots. On 28 March and 1 April, Israel conducted airstrikes in Beirut for the first time since the cessation-of-hostilities arrangement was agreed. These followed rocket fire from Lebanon towards northern Israel on 22 and 28 March, for which Hezbollah denied responsibility. On 16 April, the LAF, which has been deploying to positions south of the Litani River under the terms of the arrangement, announced the arrest of a group of Lebanese and Palestinians in connection with the rocket launches. These arrests were followed on 20 April by the detention of several people who were “allegedly planning to launch rockets into Israel”. On 27 April, Israel carried out airstrikes in the suburbs of Beirut, targeting what it said was a missile storage facility belonging to Hezbollah. In a statement issued the same day, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called on France and the US to “assume their responsibilities” as guarantors of the cessation-of-hostilities arrangement and “compel Israel to immediately cease its attacks”.
According to a 15 April statement by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at least 71 civilians have been killed by Israeli forces in Lebanon since the cessation-of-hostilities arrangement began. Civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities and roads, has also been destroyed. Citing IDF figures, the statement says that during this period, at least five rockets, two mortars and a drone have been launched from Lebanon towards Israel. Over 92,000 people remain displaced in Lebanon and tens of thousands of Israelis are still displaced from the north of the country. OHCHR called for violence to immediately stop and urged all parties to respect international humanitarian law.
In mid-February, Israel withdrew from most of south Lebanon but retained a presence in five positions in Lebanese territory near the Blue Line. Announcing its decision regarding the five positions, the IDF reportedly said on 17 February that it will remain there “until Israel is certain that Hezbollah will not return to the area south of the Litani River”. In an 18 February joint statement, Aoun, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stressed “the urgent need for Israel’s full withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory”.
In an 11 March statement, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that an agreement had been reached among French, Israeli, Lebanese, and US officials to form working groups to discuss issues related to the five areas that remain under Israeli control, disputed areas along the Blue Line, and Lebanese prisoners held by Israel. At the time of writing, it appears that the working groups have yet to be set up. In a 15 April interview, Aoun said that Lebanon is open to negotiations on the land border. He indicated, however, that the issue of the Lebanese detainees and the five areas of Lebanese territory occupied by Israel should not be matters for negotiation.
In the same interview, Aoun said that he is working to make 2025 the year the Lebanese state achieves a monopoly over weapons. This is in line with the position Aoun has taken on the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons since his presidential inauguration speech in January.
On 16 April, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israeli troops would remain indefinitely in what he referred to as “security zones” in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip. In response, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Kassem declared that the group would not disarm. While Hezbollah is open to participating in talks on a comprehensive defence strategy for Lebanon, he said that would only happen “after Israel halts its ongoing attacks on Lebanon”.
These developments are taking place against the backdrop of Hezbollah’s declining military power and decreasing political influence following the war with Israel and the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which has led to the loss of a key military supply route for Hezbollah from Iran through Syria.
According to the most recent Secretary-General’s report on resolution 1701, which was issued on 12 March and covered developments between 21 October 2024 and 20 February, the IDF’s presence north of the Blue Line is a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as resolution 1701 and undermines the efforts of the Lebanese authorities to extend state authority throughout its territory. The report also said that, since 27 November 2024, the LAF has started to dismantle military infrastructure and confiscate weapons “believed to have belonged to Hizbullah south of the Litani River”, noting that the maintenance of arms outside the state’s control by nonstate groups is in violation of resolution 1701 and restricts the state’s ability to exercise full sovereignty and authority over its territory. (Adopted in 2006, resolution 1701 called for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah based on a series of principles, including the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani River in Lebanon of “an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons” other than those of UNIFIL and the Lebanese government, as well as “no foreign forces” in Lebanon without its government’s consent.)
UNIFIL has adjusted its posture within its existing mandate to support the implementation of the cessation-of-hostilities arrangement. The mission has supported the gradual redeployment of the LAF across southern Lebanon, uncovered numerous weapons caches, and removed unexploded ordnance. In his statement at the 7 April briefing of the heads of military components of UN peacekeeping operations, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz said that UNIFIL developed an adaptation plan focused on, among other objectives, strengthening its operational posture, securing local communities’ support, and enhancing the mission’s profile. Another objective is to support the mechanism created by the cessation-of-hostilities arrangement to monitor, verify, and assist in “ensuring enforcement” of the commitments outlined in the arrangement. This is a reformulated version of the tripartite mechanism established following the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, which consisted of representatives of UNIFIL, the IDF, and the LAF, and was chaired by UNIFIL. Under the terms of the cessation-of-hostilities arrangement, the revised mechanism is chaired by the US and hosted by UNIFIL. It also includes France.
On 16 April, Qatar announced that it would be sending 162 military vehicles and a $60 million donation towards the salaries of LAF officers. In March, the US State Department reportedly approved an exception to the 90-day foreign aid funding freeze imposed by US President Donald Trump, allowing $95 million in military assistance to the LAF.
Municipal elections are scheduled to be held in Lebanon in four phases starting on 4 May. This will be the first time since 2016 that the Lebanese people will vote to elect local government bodies. Municipal elections were originally planned for May 2022 but were initially postponed to May 2023 to avoid their coinciding with the May 2022 legislative elections. Polls were again postponed in April 2024 following a vote by the parliament to extend the term of local government officials until 31 May 2024.
From 10 to 13 March, a fact-finding mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited Lebanon. The press release issued at the end of the visit welcomed the Lebanese authorities’ request for a new IMF program to “support their efforts to address Lebanon’s significant economic challenges”. Lebanon did not implement most of the reforms envisaged by a previous preliminary agreement with the IMF, requiring that a new agreement be reached. On 24 April, the Lebanese parliament approved amendments to banking secrecy legislation, one of the issues that had long been identified by the IMF as needing reform.
In a 5 March statement, Amnesty International said that it investigated four Israeli attacks on healthcare facilities and medical vehicles in Lebanon that killed 19 healthcare workers between 3 and 9 October 2024. The statement called for the attacks to be investigated as war crimes, adding that Amnesty International did not find evidence that the targeted facilities and vehicles were being used for military purposes at the time of the attacks. The statement called on Lebanon to provide the International Criminal Court with the jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute international crimes committed in Lebanese territory.
Key Issues and Options
Supporting the full implementation of the cessation-of-hostilities agreement between Israel and Hezbollah remains the Security Council’s foremost immediate priority.
Council members could consider issuing a press statement that urges all parties to fully implement the arrangement and the Security Council’s relevant resolutions, calls on the international community to support Lebanon’s reconstruction, and stresses the importance of protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Council Dynamics
Council members agree on the need for the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon to hold and the importance of guaranteeing safety and security for UNIFIL peacekeepers.
There are sharp differences in Council members’ views of Hezbollah. Some members distinguish between Hezbollah’s political and military wings and have only designated its military wing as a terrorist organisation; other members, including the UK and the US, have listed Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organisation. On the other hand, Russia sees Hezbollah as a legitimate socio-political force in Lebanon.
China and Russia have opposed the Council taking positions they perceive as overly prescriptive regarding Lebanon’s internal affairs.
France is the penholder on Lebanon.
| Security Council Resolutions | |
| 11 August 2006S/RES/1701 | This resolution called for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. It also expanded UNIFIL’s mandate. |
| 2 September 2004S/RES/1559 | This resolution urged withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, extension of the Lebanese government’s control over all Lebanese territory and free and fair presidential elections. |
