The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Arabic: قوة الأمم المتحدة المؤقتة في لبنان; Hebrew: כוח האו"ם הזמני בלבנון), or UNIFIL (Arabic: يونيفيل; Hebrew: יוניפי״ל) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, and resolution 1701 in 2006 to restore peace and security along the Israel-Lebanon border.
UNIFIL was established as a result of the 1978 Israeli invasion of Lebanon at a time of Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon and the Lebanese Civil War. The UNIFIL mandate had to be adjusted due to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and after the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. Following the 2006 Lebanon War, the United Nations Security Council enhanced UNIFIL and added additional tasks to the mandate, such as aiding displaced persons.
UNIFIL's mandate is renewed annually by the United Nations Security Council; it was most recently extended on 28 August 2025 with the passing of UNSCR 2790 which set out the final extension of the mission's mandate until 31 December 2026, with its drawdown and withdrawal to then take place throughout 2027. The UNSC called for the full implementation of Resolution 1701, including full respect for the Blue Line and full cessation of hostilities.
As of 2026 UNIFIL is composed of 7,478 personnel from 47 nations, tasked with monitoring the cessation of hostilities and helping ensure humanitarian access to the civilian population. Its funding is approved on an annual basis by the General Assembly. It has a budget of $553 million for the fiscal year 2025 to 2026.
Mandate
According to its Mandate, established by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426 in 1978, UNIFIL is tasked with the following objectives:
confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
restore international peace and security.
assist the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area.
In addition, several further Security Council resolutions have reaffirmed and expanded the mission's mandate, including:
31 January 2006: SC Resolution 1655
31 July 2006: SC Resolution 1697
11 August 2006: SC Resolution 1701
Under SC Resolution 1701, UNIFIL's mandate was expanded, giving it new duties:
Monitor the cessation of hostilities.
Accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the South, including along the Blue Line, as Israel withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon.
Coordinate its activities referred to in the preceding paragraph (above) with the Government of Lebanon and the Government of Israel.
Extend its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons.
Assist the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in taking steps towards the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL deployed in this area.
Assist the Government of Lebanon, at its request, in securing its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms or related materiel.
In addition, UNIFIL was also authorized to:
ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind;
resist attempts by forceful means to prevent it from discharging its duties under the mandate of the Security Council; and
protect United Nations personnel, facilities, installations and equipment, ensure the security and freedom of movement of United Nations personnel, humanitarian workers and, without prejudice to the responsibility of the Government of Lebanon, to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence.
History
The first UNIFIL troops deployed in the area on 23 March 1978 were redeployed from other UN peacekeeping operations in the region, the (United Nations Emergency Force, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force Zone). They were deployed after Israel launched an invasion of Lebanon earlier in the month, in response to Palestinian militants hijacking a bus on the Coastal Highway of Israel and murdered its occupants in across border raid from Lebanon.
UNIFIL built its headquarters in Naqoura close to the Lebanese-Israeli border. The majority of the force's initial personnel were provided by Canada, Iran and Sweden, with support from France, Nepal and Norway. The initial force consists of 4,000 troops. This was increased to 6,000 in May 1978.
Israeli forces withdrew from the area on 13 June 1978, after which the Free Lebanon Army under Saad Haddad remained in the area. On April 18, 1979, Haddad proclaimed the area under his control the "Independent Free Lebanon". The following day, he was branded a traitor by the Lebanese government and officially dismissed from the Lebanese Army. Part of the Army of Free Lebanon returned to government control, while Haddad's part split away and was renamed the South Lebanon Army (SLA) in May 1980.
UNIFIL began patrolling operations and established a series of positions, including checkpoints, roadblocks and observation posts. UNIFIL operations during this time were hindered by restrictions that were imposed on its freedom of movement and a lack of cooperation by all parties to the conflict. There were several attacks on its personnel, including ambushes, kidnappings, shelling and sniping. As a result, only limited progress was made in fulfilling its mandate between 1978 and 1982. During the occupation, UNIFIL's function was mainly to provide humanitarian aid amidst the Lebanese Civil War.
Lebanese Civil War (until 1990)
Before the second Israeli invasion of Lebanon, on 2 January 1982 two Ghanaian soldiers guarding a UNIFIL position were attacked by unidentified persons and one of the soldiers was shot and subsequently died. In February 1982, the force was increased by a further 1,000 troops. During the 1982 Lebanon War, commencing on 6 June 1982, Israeli forces advanced into south Lebanon. Despite being ordered to block the advance, the UN positions were either bypassed or overrun, primarily by the SLA forces under Saad Haddad.
The SLA was the main Lebanese paramilitary force supported by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in southern Lebanon. The UN force was overwhelmed within a day. At least one Norwegian peacekeeper was killed in the initial attack. Following this, UNIFIL focused primarily on the distribution of aid and medical support. A new peacekeeping force, the Multinational Force in Lebanon was also created and deployed in Beirut until it was withdrawn in March 1984.
South Lebanon conflict (until 2000)
Beginning in 1985, Israel scaled back its permanent positions in Lebanon, although the IDF maintained some forces in Southern Lebanon, along with the SLA, to establish a security zone to prevent attacks on Israel from Lebanon. These forces were engaged by several groups, including Hezbollah.
UNIFIL's role during this time was limited mainly to manning checkpoints and undertaking patrols, as its operations were constrained by the Israeli security zone in the south. Its personnel were attacked by elements on both sides of the conflict during this time, and financial issues also hampered UNIFIL operations as some UN member states withheld funding for the operation. In 1986, the force was reorganised when France decreased its contribution to UNIFIL. There was a proposal to convert the force into an observation group around this time, although this was ultimately rejected.
The period saw the 1993 Seven-Day War in Lebanon, and in 1996, south Lebanon was bombarded by the Israeli army, air force, and navy for seventeen days. According to Amnesty International, during the 1996 bombardment, UNIFIL compounds and vehicles came under Israeli aircraft or artillery fire 270 times. This included the shelling of the Fijian UNIFIL compound near Qana where 102 villagers sheltering were killed.
In April 2000, Israel notified the UN Secretary General that it was withdrawing from south Lebanon. This process was completed by June 2000. After this, UNIFIL was able to resume its military tasks along the "Blue Line (withdrawal line)" (a demarcation line dividing Lebanon from Israel) and the adjacent areas, where UNIFIL sought to maintain the ceasefire through patrols, observation from fixed positions, and close contact between Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), as well as providing humanitarian assistance to the local population.
Conflict in 2006
According to UNIFIL press releases, there were dozens of incidents of UN posts coming under fire during the 2006 Lebanon War by Israeli forces. In his 21 July 2006 report about the UNIFIL activities 21 January – 18 July 2006, the Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan stated that "Some Hezbollah positions remained in close proximity to United Nations positions, especially in the Hula area, posing a significant security risk to United Nations personnel and equipment."
Combat-related incidents
On 17 July, a UNIFIL international staff member and his wife were killed when Israeli aircraft bombed the Hosh District of Tyre, Lebanon.
On 23 July, Hezbollah fire wounded an Italian observer.
On 25 July, Hezbollah opened small arms fire at a UNIFIL convoy, forcing it to retreat.
On 25 July, four soldiers from the Ghanaian battalion were lightly injured after an Israeli tank shell hit a UNIFIL position during fighting in Southern Lebanon on 24 July 2006.
Shrapnel from tank shells fired by the IDF seriously wounded an Indian soldier on 16 July 2006.
On 25 July, four UNTSO observers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland were killed by Israeli strikes on an OGL (Observer Group Lebanon) patrol base near Khiam in southern Lebanon. According to the UN, the Israelis stated they were responding to "Hezbollah fire from that vicinity" and the four had taken shelter in a bunker under the post. The area around the site was hit by a precision guided bomb from an Israeli jet and shelled a total of 14 times by Israeli artillery throughout the day despite warning calls made by UN personnel to the IDF. However, General Alain Pellegrini, then commander of UNIFIL, claims that he attempted to call Israeli officials "five or six times", but never got past their secretaries. Later, Israeli artillery shelling resumed as a rescue team tried to clear the rubble.
On 29 July, two Indian soldiers were wounded when their post was damaged during an Israeli airstrike in Southern Lebanon.
On 6 August, a Hezbollah rocket hit the headquarters of the Chinese UNIFIL contingent, wounding three Chinese soldiers.
On 12 August, a Ghanaian soldier was wounded when Israeli artillery shelled the area near the village of Haris.
From August 2006
Visit by Secretary-General
In order to stress the importance of implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, UN Secretary-General Annan himself paid a visit to UNIFIL on the ground in August 2006.
Reinforcements
By July 2006, UNIFIL's strength had dropped to its lowest, with only 1,980 personnel deployed. Following the UN-brokered ceasefire, UNIFIL received a large number of reinforcements, up to 15,000 personnel, and heavy equipment. France committed to increase its complement from 400 to 2,000 men and send Leclerc main battle tanks and AMX 30 AuF1 self-propelled artillery, in addition to the forces deployed in Opération Baliste. Italy committed to deploying 3,000 troops, while Qatar offered to send between 200 and 300 troops. As the French were preparing to deploy, French commander of UNIFIL Alain Pellegrini and the country's foreign minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy, stated that France would not intervene to disarm Hezbollah.
A naval component of UNIFIL was set up to assist the Lebanese Navy as an interim measure to prevent arms proliferation to Hezbollah while the Lebanese Navy builds its capacity. For a period the force was German-led under the command of a German admiral before handing over to the Italians.
The Indonesian contingent received 12 VAB (Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé) on 17 February 2007, as part of the second wave of shipments from the agreement between the French and Indonesian governments. Among the equipment sent with the second wave of VABs were 10 tool boxes (pioneering equipment), 10 armored vehicle radio communications units, HMG (Heavy Machine Gun) shooter shields, and 40 water jerrycans.
On 16 March 2009, KRI Diponegoro, an Indonesian Sigma-class corvette joined the UNIFIL Naval Task Force. In August 2010, two Indonesian soldiers were criticized after they escaped from clashes between Israel and Lebanon by fleeing in a taxi.
The Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Ambassador Dan Gillerman, met with UNIFIL commander, Maj.-Gen. Claudio Graziano, on 15 August 2008, after Israel was accused of unilaterally violating United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 by the almost daily overflights of Lebanese airspace, the continued occupation of the village of Ghajar, and Israel's refusal to submit maps of areas on which it dropped cluster munitions during the 2006 Lebanese war.
Following the war, British military historian John Keegan predicted that Israel would in the future invade Lebanon and continue attacking until Hezbollah's system of tunnels and bunkers was destroyed, as Israel would not tolerate a "zone of invulnerability" occupied by a sworn enemy, or a double threat posed by Hezbollah and Hamas rockets, and that Israel might first attack the Gaza Strip. Keegan noted that any IDF entry into Southern Lebanon would risk provoking a clash with UNIFIL, but that it is unlikely to deter Israel, as it tends to behave with "extreme ruthlessness" when national survival is at stake.
Many troops, including the Finnish, Irish, Qataris and Indonesians, pulled out of UNIFIL in 2007–2008. Some of these nations had been there for over 30 years (the Irish and Finnish), and one of the reasons for the withdrawal was reportedly concerns about the changing rules of engagement following the arrival of NATO forces in August 2006 and because of high-level German and French statements expressing unlimited support to the Israeli side.