UN to bolster UNIFIL following expected truce

The UN plans to bolster its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon following a truce UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said on November 14th according to the Arab News via Reuters.

The peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL is deployed in Lebanon’s south to monitor the demarcation line with Israel. Diplomatic elements to end the current war have centred around UN resolution 1701, which dates back to 2006.

“I think that has to be very clear. Implementing the 1701 is the responsibility of the parties,” said Lacroix, speaking to reporters on a three-day visit to Lebanon. “UNIFIL has a supportive role, and there is a lot of substance in that supporting role.”

“We don’t necessarily think in terms of numbers, we think in terms of what would be the needs and how could they be fulfilled,” he said.
Lacroix added that the UN and several member states have repeatedly called on all parties to ensure the safety of peacekeepers and that while incidents had not stopped, they had not increased following international condemnation.

Reuters