Lebanon Intensifies Efforts to Change Amendments to UNIFIL’s Jurisdiction

Vehicles and members of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol along the border with the northern Israeli town of Metula, in Kafr Kila, southern Lebanon, 12 July 2023. (EPA)
Vehicles and members of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol along the border with the northern Israeli town of Metula, in Kafr Kila, southern Lebanon, 12 July 2023. (EPA)
TT
20

Lebanon Intensifies Efforts to Change Amendments to UNIFIL’s Jurisdiction

Vehicles and members of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol along the border with the northern Israeli town of Metula, in Kafr Kila, southern Lebanon, 12 July 2023. (EPA)
Vehicles and members of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol along the border with the northern Israeli town of Metula, in Kafr Kila, southern Lebanon, 12 July 2023. (EPA)

Lebanon is intensifying its efforts to amend the resolution on the renewal of the term of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that operates in the South.

In August 2022, the renewal of the mandate of the peacekeeping force included changes that allowed its troops to expand their movement on the ground without prior coordination and cooperation with the Lebanese army.

The amendment was a precedent and sparked controversy in Lebanon, with Hezbollah saying the change turns UNIFIL into an “occupying force”.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told Asharq Al-Awsat that efforts are underway to amend the article.

The amended article will be presented to relevant countries next week, he revealed.

The UN Security Council will meet in late August to address the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate.

A source at the Foreign Ministry told Asharq Al-Awsat that efforts have kicked off to garner international support for Lebanon’s position to amend the article. Bou Habib has met with a number of ambassadors of permanent Security Council members.

“Calm in the area of jurisdiction of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon must be an international demand, as it is for Lebanon, to prevent some accidents that we have seen this past year,” it added.

“It is best for everyone to return to the old equation where the army would accompany UNIFIL on its patrols,” it went on to say.

Bou Habib said the army has 2,000 soldiers deployed in UNIFIL’s area of operation. The UN peacekeepers, however, boast 10,000 troops who carry out 400 patrols a day. The army cannot possibly accompany all these patrols and therefore determines which patrol to join so that UNIFIL carries out its duties securely.

A military source confirmed that the army was unable to join every patrol due to a lack of numbers.

It added that the renewal of the resolution lies in the hands of political and diplomatic circles and the army is not involved in the process.

Relations between UNIFIL and residents in the South have grown strained in recent years. Attacks by civilians have taken place against the UN forces. The UNIFIL command had therefore demanded that the army accompany the peacekeepers on their patrols to ensure their safety.

In January, a member of the Irish contingent was killed in one such attack. Three of his colleagues were injured. A judge charged a detained suspect and four fugitives with premeditated murder in the attack.

CEO of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) Riad-Kahwaji told Asharq Al-Awsat that the countries with troops in UNIFIL are not willing to put them at risk and in a confrontation with Hezbollah, which effectively controls the South.

They are aware that the Lebanese government is unable to impose its power and sovereignty throughout Lebanon, so the issue of expanding UNIFIL’s jurisdiction is off the table.

There is consensus to keep the situation as it is as long as the geo-political situation also remains unchanged, he remarked, while citing the secret American-Iranian talks and reports of a new deal between Washington and Tehran.

The potential deal will likely prompt the United States to avoid any tensions with Iran, including in southern Lebanon, so Washington would probably not be opposed to changing the amended article to the way it was before August 2022.



Egypt Welcomes Tehran’s Renaming of ‘Islamabouli Street’ as a Turning Point in Relations with Iran

Relations between Egypt and Iran saw a notable thaw following Araghchi’s visit to Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
Relations between Egypt and Iran saw a notable thaw following Araghchi’s visit to Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
TT
20

Egypt Welcomes Tehran’s Renaming of ‘Islamabouli Street’ as a Turning Point in Relations with Iran

Relations between Egypt and Iran saw a notable thaw following Araghchi’s visit to Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)
Relations between Egypt and Iran saw a notable thaw following Araghchi’s visit to Cairo (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt has welcomed Iran’s decision to rename a Tehran street once dedicated to Khalid al-Islamabouli - the Egyptian army officer who assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981 - describing the move as a significant step toward resetting bilateral relations.

In the first official Egyptian response to the development, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Tamim Khallaf told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Renaming the street is a positive step in Egyptian-Iranian relations. It helps put matters back on the right track.”

The street, long a source of tension between Cairo and Tehran, has now been renamed after Hassan Nasrallah, the former Secretary-General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, following a decision by the Tehran City Council.

Iranian media reported that a formal ceremony was held to unveil the new name, attended by officials, intellectuals, and civil society figures. The change was part of a wider initiative that saw 11 streets in the capital renamed last month.

Dr. Hoda Raouf, a Cairo-based expert on Iranian affairs, said the move reflects “a meaningful shift and a clear sign of Iran’s serious intent to restore relations with Egypt.”

She noted that Egyptian-Iranian ties have two key dimensions: regional security - particularly Egypt’s opposition to Iranian interference in countries such as Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen - and the bilateral relationship, which has long been strained over symbolic gestures such as honoring Sadat’s assassin.

Political philosopher and Iran specialist Dr. Mohamed Khairy echoed that assessment, calling the street name change “a significant development.”

He emphasized that the decision was passed by majority vote and attended by influential figures from Iran’s political establishment, which he said reflects a genuine desire within Iran to repair ties with Cairo.

The gesture comes amid signs of warming relations between the two nations. Iranian top diplomat Abbas Araghchi recently visited Cairo, where he met President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and senior officials.

His visit included a symbolic walk through the historic Khan el-Khalili bazaar, prayers at the Al-Hussein Mosque, and dinner at the famed Naguib Mahfouz restaurant.

Sisi also held a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the recent Israeli escalation against Iran, in which he affirmed Egypt’s rejection of Israeli attacks on Iranian territory.