The US and Israel have reportedly agreed to ending the mission of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, Israel Hayom reported yesterday.
The decision comes in the wake of the recent war on Lebanon, which, according to the report, weakened Hezbollah.
The report stated that the United States is seeking to reduce the costs associated with running the UN peacekeeping mission, while Israel believes that its coordination with the Lebanese army is sufficient and effective enough to make UNIFIL’s continued presence unnecessary.
The newspaper claimed that the international force has “failed” to prevent what it called “terrorist elements” from strengthening their capabilities in southern Lebanon — a reference to Hezbollah —making its effectiveness constantly questioned by Israeli authorities.
According to the report, a decision on the future of the force is expected to be made by the United Nations Security Council in August.