The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was created in March 1978 by Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426 after Israel’s Operation Litani. Its mandate required confirming Israeli withdrawal, restoring peace and security, and helping Beirut reassert sovereignty in the south. What began 47 years ago as a temporary buffer has mutated into an institutional obstacle to confronting Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Unlike robust Chapter VII missions, UNIFIL operates under limited rules of engagement that preclude meaningful enforcement against nonstate actors such as Hezbollah.

After the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, Resolution 1701 expanded UNIFIL to more than 10,000 troops with a broader mandate to prevent hostile acts and support Lebanese Armed Forces redeployment to the area. Yet Hezbollah transformed southern Lebanon into a forward base. Their arsenal grew from 15,000 rockets in 2006 to more than 150,000 precision-guided munitions and short-range systems by 2023 despite thousands of international peacekeepers. It built hundreds of tunnels and launch sites and embedded command infrastructure within meters of UNIFIL observation posts and bases. UNIFIL patrols documented violations but produced no disarmament. Subsequent Lebanese governments evaded their obligations while the force’s presence lent international cover to inaction.