United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is a UN peacekeeping force based in southern Lebanon, along the tense line that separates Lebanon from Israel. It is made up of soldiers sent by many countries, including India. Its job is to watch over a ceasefire, help the Lebanese army take control of the south, and keep the area calm so that ordinary people can live safely. It is one of the oldest UN peacekeeping missions still running, set up in 1978.

What is UN peacekeeping?

Imagine two neighbours who have just stopped fighting. Both agree to let a neutral person stand between their houses, watch for trouble and report it. A UN peacekeeping force works like that neutral person. The UN Security Council creates the force. Member countries lend their soldiers and police, who wear the famous blue helmets. Peacekeeping is not written word for word in the UN Charter.

It grew out of practice. People sometimes call it "Chapter VI and a half" because it sits between peaceful settlement of disputes (Chapter VI) and the use of force (Chapter VII).

The three basic rules of peacekeeping

1. Consent of the parties: the host country (here, Lebanon) agrees to the force being there.
2. Impartiality: the force does not take sides.
3. Non-use of force: force is used only in self-defence and to defend the mandate (the tasks the UNSC has given it).

Why was UNIFIL created?

In March 1978, Israeli forces moved into southern Lebanon after attacks launched from Lebanese territory. The UN Security Council met quickly. On 19 March 1978, it adopted Resolutions 425 and 426. Resolution 425 asked Israel to withdraw and set up UNIFIL. Resolution 426 laid out how the force would work. The force was called "interim" (temporary) because it was meant to last only a short time, at first for six months. It has instead lasted more than four decades.

Its original three tasks (1978)

• Confirm that Israeli forces had withdrawn from southern Lebanon.
• Restore international peace and security in the area.
• Help the Government of Lebanon bring back its effective authority in the south.

The Blue Line

Israel finally completed its withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000. To check that the withdrawal was complete, a UN team drew a line on the map, called the Blue Line. It is a line of withdrawal, not an official international border. Both Lebanon and Israel have objections to parts of it. Some small areas, such as the Shebaa Farms, are still disputed.

How did the 2006 war change UNIFIL?

In July 2006, a war broke out between Israel and Hezbollah, an armed group based in Lebanon. To end it, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1701 on 11 August 2006. The fighting stopped on 14 August. Resolution 1701 made UNIFIL much bigger and gave it new tasks:

• The troop limit went up from about 2,000 to 15,000 military personnel.
• UNIFIL would monitor the end of hostilities (the stopping of fighting).
• It would support the Lebanese Armed Forces as they moved into the south, including along the Blue Line, while Israel withdrew.
• It would help create an area between the Blue Line and the Litani River with no armed people or weapons other than those of the Lebanese state and UNIFIL. The Litani is between about 6 km and 28 km north of the Blue Line, depending on the place.
• At Lebanon's request, it would help secure Lebanon's borders against illegal arms.
• For the first time in UN history, a peacekeeping force got a naval wing, the Maritime Task Force, to watch Lebanon's coast.

Where is it based, and who serves in it?

UNIFIL's headquarters is at Naqoura, a town in southern Lebanon near the Blue Line. Soldiers come from around 50 countries. As of September 2024, the force had about 10,058 peacekeepers from 50 countries, and India contributed about 903 troops. Large contingents also come from countries such as Italy, France and Spain.

India's role

India has sent an infantry battalion to UNIFIL since 1998. It works in the eastern sector of the Blue Line. The Indian battalion is called INDBATT and rotates regularly (for example, INDBATT XXVI took over in July 2025). Indian troops also run medical camps, veterinary care and community projects for local villages. In 2025, India's battalion in UNIFIL included its first Female Engagement Team, a group of women soldiers who connect with local women and families.

UNIFIL is part of India's long record in UN peacekeeping. India has taken part in more than 50 UN peacekeeping missions since the 1950s and has sent more than 2.8 lakh personnel in total. India has also lost more peacekeepers than any other country, close to 180 personnel.

Attacks on peacekeepers

In October 2024, during fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli fire hit UNIFIL positions, including near its headquarters at Naqoura, and peacekeepers were injured. UNIFIL called such attacks a serious violation of international humanitarian law (the rules of war that protect people not taking part in fighting) and of Resolution 1701. Many troop-contributing countries, including India, condemned the attacks. Attacks on peacekeepers are a major worry because the soldiers are there only to keep the peace, not to fight.

The end of the mission

On 28 August 2025, the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2790. It extended UNIFIL's mandate for a final time, until 31 December 2026. After that, the force will draw down and withdraw during 2027. Its tasks are to pass to the Lebanese government and army. Lebanon has warned that the withdrawal could leave a security gap in the south.

Commonly confused concepts

• UNIFIL vs UNTSO: UNTSO (UN Truce Supervision Organization, 1948) is the first-ever UN peacekeeping mission. It is a small group of unarmed military observers across the Middle East. UNIFIL is a large, armed force focused only on southern Lebanon.
• UNIFIL vs UNDOF: UNDOF (UN Disengagement Observer Force, 1974) watches the ceasefire between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights, not Lebanon.
• Blue Line vs border: the Blue Line is a UN-drawn line used to confirm Israel's withdrawal in 2000. It is not a legally agreed border between Lebanon and Israel.
• Peacekeeping vs peace enforcement: peacekeeping needs the host's consent and uses force only in self-defence. Peace enforcement (under Chapter VII) can use force against a party without its consent.
• Resolution 425 vs 1701: 425 (1978) created UNIFIL. 1701 (2006) ended the Israel-Hezbollah war and greatly expanded UNIFIL.

Issues, criticism and the way forward

• Limited power: UNIFIL cannot force any side to disarm. Critics say armed groups kept weapons south of the Litani despite Resolution 1701, and that violations from both sides of the Blue Line continued.
• Safety of peacekeepers: repeated attacks on UN positions show how risky the job is. Troop-contributing countries like India want stronger protection and a bigger say in how mandates are written.
• Cost and long duration: some members argue that a mission lasting over 45 years has not solved the core dispute and is costly. This view helped lead to the decision to end it.
• Fear of a vacuum: Lebanon and many experts worry that, after UNIFIL leaves, fighting may increase if the Lebanese army is not strong enough. The way forward suggested by many is to train, fund and equip the Lebanese Armed Forces before and during the withdrawal.

Concepts to Know

• Mandate: the official list of tasks and powers the Security Council gives a UN mission, and the period for which it runs.
• Troop-contributing country: a country that lends its soldiers or police to a UN peacekeeping mission.
• Hezbollah: an armed group and political movement based in Lebanon, with a strong presence in the south.
• Ceasefire / cessation of hostilities: an agreement to stop fighting, which may or may not lead to a full peace deal.
• International humanitarian law: the rules that apply during wars, which protect civilians, the wounded and neutral people like peacekeepers.