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Source: https://www.inss.org.il/publication/unifil-2024/
UNIFIL Peacekeeping Force Is Ineffective in Its Current Format
(Institute for National Security Studies) Lt.-Col. (ret.) Orna Mizrahi - There are now 10,000 UNIFIL soldiers from 50 countries, supported by an annual budget exceeding $500 million. In recent years, it has become unmistakably clear that UNIFIL was not fulfilling its primary mandate - overseeing the prohibition of Hizbullah's military presence in southern Lebanon. Hizbullah operatives were able to travel south without any impediment, where they then prevented UNIFIL from accessing the areas they had taken over, using these locations to amass weapons to attack Israel in a future war. In light of UNIFIL's failure to prevent Hizbullah from establishing an extensive presence and building its military strength in southern Lebanon, some in Israel have argued that the international force is ineffective and that the government should push to end its mandate or at least scale it back since it does not fulfill its purpose. They contend that UNIFIL's presence is even a burden on Israel, given that it restricts the IDF's freedom of operation, particularly during wartime. The exposure of Hizbullah's extensive and deep presence and its operational readiness for war in the area south of the Litani River - a flagrant violation of UN Resolution 1701 - strongly underscores UNIFIL's inability to fulfill its mandate. It will not be able to continue operating in its current format "the day after" the war between Israel and Hizbullah. Media reports indicate that Israel seeks substantive revisions to UNIFIL's mandate. Any ceasefire agreement to end the war must include the changes necessary to create an improved security reality along the border while also preserving Israel's freedom of operation if it becomes apparent that Resolution 1701 is not being enforced. The writer, a senior researcher at INSS, served 26 years in the IDF and 12 years in the National Security Council, including as deputy national security adviser for foreign policy.