UNIFIL to withdraw most peacekeepers by mid-2027 as mandate ends this year
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon will withdraw most of its troops by mid-2027, the mission said, laying out a timeline to wind down operations after its mandate expires on December 31, 2026, amid persistent tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border.
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“UNIFIL is planning to draw down and withdraw all, or substantially all, uniformed personnel by mid-year 2027,” spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said, adding the force intends to complete the pullout by the end of 2027.
The move follows a United Nations Security Council decision last year, taken under pressure from the United States and Israel, to end UNIFIL’s mandate on December 31, 2026, and conduct an “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal” within one year. After operations cease, Ardiel said, the mission will begin sending personnel and equipment home and transferring UN positions to Lebanese authorities.
During the exit, the peacekeepers will be authorized to perform only limited tasks, including protecting UN personnel and bases and managing a safe departure. UNIFIL has served as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon for decades and, more recently, has assisted the Lebanese army in dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure near the border after a recent war between Israel and the Iran-backed group.
The mission’s footprint has already shrunk. Ardiel said UNIFIL has reduced its presence in south Lebanon by almost 2,000 peacekeepers in recent months, with “a couple hundred more set to leave by May.” The force now numbers about 7,500 troops from 48 countries. She said the reductions were “a direct result” of a UN-wide financial crisis and cost-saving measures across missions, and were unrelated to the mandate’s end.
The drawdown comes as the security picture remains fragile despite a November 2024 ceasefire aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah. Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon, largely targeting Hezbollah, and maintains troops in five border areas. UNIFIL patrols continue to monitor violations of the UN resolution that ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah and underpins the current ceasefire. The mission has repeatedly reported Israeli fire at or near its personnel since the truce took effect.
Interest in the transition is high among troop-contributing nations. Ireland, whose contingent numbers around 300 in south Lebanon and for whom UNIFIL is its longest-running peacekeeping deployment, is among the countries affected by the phased withdrawal. UNIFIL’s multinational composition and long-standing role in de-escalation have been central to managing incidents across the Blue Line and supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces in the south.
What follows UNIFIL’s departure remains the subject of active diplomacy. Lebanese authorities have called for a continued international troop presence in the south, even at reduced levels, and have urged European partners to stay engaged. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in Beirut this month that Lebanon’s army should replace the UN force once it withdraws. Italy has said it intends to maintain a military presence in Lebanon after UNIFIL leaves.
As the end-of-year deadline nears, the mission’s stated priorities are to maintain the safety of its personnel, preserve stability along the border, and ensure a handover of positions to Lebanese authorities without creating new security vacuums. The timetable outlined by UNIFIL sets the parameters for a complex disengagement across one of the region’s most volatile frontiers.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
