Lebanon Requests Extension of UNIFIL Mandate without Modification

Vehicles belonging to UN peacekeepers drive along a road along the Lebanon-Israel border near the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila on September 1, 2019. (AFP)
Vehicles belonging to UN peacekeepers drive along a road along the Lebanon-Israel border near the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila on September 1, 2019. (AFP)
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Lebanon Requests Extension of UNIFIL Mandate without Modification

Vehicles belonging to UN peacekeepers drive along a road along the Lebanon-Israel border near the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila on September 1, 2019. (AFP)
Vehicles belonging to UN peacekeepers drive along a road along the Lebanon-Israel border near the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila on September 1, 2019. (AFP)

Lebanon said on Monday it wanted to extend the mandate of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) without any modifications to its mission.

President Michel Aoun delivered the request during a meeting at the Presidential Palace with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

He also noted the adoption of the UNIFIL budget on June 30, remarking that despite regional tensions, southern Lebanon has been enjoying stability since the July 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

Aoun praised the existing cooperation between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL, reiterating his condemnation of Israeli air violations, especially recent ones, through raids launched against Syrian territories from Lebanese airspace.

Aoun reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to the full implementation of UN resolution 1701, calling on the UN to compel Israel to also respect it.

For his part, Lacroix stressed that the UN will always stand by Lebanon, adding that UNIFIL will continue to implement resolution 1701, through the existing cooperation between the Lebanese army and international forces.

Lacroix also held talks with parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab.



US Sanctions Shipping Companies, Vessels for Delivery of Oil and Gas to Houthis

 A Yemeni man inspects the damage reportedly caused by US airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP)
A Yemeni man inspects the damage reportedly caused by US airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP)
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US Sanctions Shipping Companies, Vessels for Delivery of Oil and Gas to Houthis

 A Yemeni man inspects the damage reportedly caused by US airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP)
A Yemeni man inspects the damage reportedly caused by US airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP)

The United States imposed sanctions on Monday on three vessels and their owners for delivering oil and gas products to Yemen's Houthis, as Washington continues to put pressure on the Iran-backed militants over their attacks on Red Sea shipping.

The sanctions targeted Marshall Islands-registered Zaas Shipping & Trading Co and Great Success Shipping Co, and Mauritius-registered Bagsak Shipping Co and the cargo vessels they used to deliver oil and gas products to the Houthi-controlled port of Ras Isa, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

"Today’s action underscores our commitment to disrupt the Houthis’ efforts to fund their dangerous and destabilizing attacks in the region," Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender said. "Treasury will continue to leverage our tools and authorities to target those who seek to enable the Houthis’ ability to exploit the people of Yemen and continue their campaign of violence."

The sanctions came hours after Houthi-controlled television said a US airstrike killed 68 people at a detention center for African migrants in Yemen.

The United States in March designated the Houthis as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization," accusing the group of threatening the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East as well as partners in the region and global maritime trade.

The attacks on ships, which the Houthis say are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, have disrupted global commerce, stoked fears of inflation and deepened concern about the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war.