عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

France, US Compromise to Renew UN Peacekeeping Mission in Lebanon

A United Nations peacekeeper (UNIFIL) is pictured on a UN armored vehicle in Naqoura, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, August 31, 2023. (Reuters)
A United Nations peacekeeper (UNIFIL) is pictured on a UN armored vehicle in Naqoura, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, August 31, 2023. (Reuters)
TT
TT

France, US Compromise to Renew UN Peacekeeping Mission in Lebanon

A United Nations peacekeeper (UNIFIL) is pictured on a UN armored vehicle in Naqoura, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, August 31, 2023. (Reuters)
A United Nations peacekeeper (UNIFIL) is pictured on a UN armored vehicle in Naqoura, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, August 31, 2023. (Reuters)

The United Nations Security Council voted on Thursday to extend a long-running peacekeeping mission in Lebanon for another year after a compromise was reached between France and the United States on language about the freedom of movement of UN troops.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) - established in 1978 - patrols Lebanon's southern border with Israel. The mandate for the operation is renewed annually, and its current authorization was due to expire on Thursday.

The French-drafted text was adopted with 13 votes in favor and abstentions by Russia and China. A planned Wednesday vote was delayed as France, the United States and the United Arab Emirates argued over language on UN freedom of movement.

France kept language in the resolution that spells out that peacekeepers should coordinate with the Lebanese government.

But in a compromise with the US and the UAE, France added back in text from last year's council resolution - which it had deleted - that demands all parties allow "announced and unannounced patrols" by UN troops.

"The ability of the UNIFIL personnel to carry out their responsibilities, independent of any restrictions, is essential," US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the council.

"And we've had long-standing concerns regarding the actions by some actors to obstruct the mission's freedom of movement," she said. "The resolution adopted today includes language strongly reaffirming UNIFIL's full freedom of movement."

The peacekeeping renewal comes amid an escalating war of words between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon with each vowing to return the other to the "stone age" and preparing for possible conflict even as they deny seeking one.

UNIFIL's mandate was expanded in 2006, following a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah, to allow peacekeepers to help the Lebanese army keep parts of the south free of weapons or armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state.

That has sparked friction with Hezbollah, which effectively controls southern Lebanon despite the presence of the Lebanese army.

In December, an Irish peacekeeper was killed when his UNIFIL vehicle came under fire in southern Lebanon. A Lebanese military tribunal has accused members of Hezbollah of involvement in the killing. Hezbollah has officially denied involvement.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Iraqi Court Hears First Challenge to Zaidi’s Premiership

This handout picture released by the Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office shows Iraq's new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi giving an address after assuming office in Baghdad on May 16, 2026. (Photo by IRAQI PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS OFFICE / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office shows Iraq's new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi giving an address after assuming office in Baghdad on May 16, 2026. (Photo by IRAQI PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS OFFICE / AFP)
TT
TT

Iraqi Court Hears First Challenge to Zaidi’s Premiership

This handout picture released by the Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office shows Iraq's new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi giving an address after assuming office in Baghdad on May 16, 2026. (Photo by IRAQI PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS OFFICE / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office shows Iraq's new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi giving an address after assuming office in Baghdad on May 16, 2026. (Photo by IRAQI PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS OFFICE / AFP)

Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court has set July 1 for its first hearing in a lawsuit challenging the validity of Ali al-Zaidi’s designation as prime minister, the first legal move of its kind since the current government was formed.

The court date comes as political forces that failed to push through their ministerial nominees look for legal ways to challenge parliamentary voting procedures, amid a deepening dispute over the constitutional mechanisms for forming the government.

Former lawmaker Raad al-Maliki said in a press statement that he had received the official notice by email, along with a response memorandum submitted by the president’s representative in the case.

The memorandum, according to Maliki, argued that the plaintiff had no legal interest in the case and that the claim had been directed at the wrong party. It said the designation, in the plaintiff’s view, was made by the largest parliamentary bloc, not by the president.

It also raised issues related to the nominee’s competence, political ties and ownership of media outlets, and whether these could create a conflict of interest after he took office.

Al-Zaidi, a businessman who owns companies with his brother and partners, including Al-Oweis, Al-Janoob, and Dijlah TV, remains a little-known figure in Iraqi politics. His designation caught political circles by surprise.

The memorandum said that, after taking office, senior officials must give up private interests to avoid conflicts of interest or risk legal accountability.

Maliki said he would press ahead with the lawsuit and file a detailed response to the arguments presented. He said the challenge concerned “public law” and should not be tied to direct personal interest.

Legal view

Constitutional expert Ali al-Tamimi said the Federal Supreme Court, which operates under Law No. 30 of 2005 and its amended rules of procedure, first reviews legal interest and proper standing before considering the substance of a case.

He said the court would examine whether the designation was constitutional under Article 76, whether the requirements for nominating the prime minister and completing the cabinet had been met, and whether the parliamentary vote was valid.

Tamimi said the court could seek additional evidence, including recordings or the testimony of technical experts. He said predicting its decisions was “extremely difficult,” and that it could either reject or accept the case.

On the political side, Tamimi said al-Zaidi was a “consensus candidate” after former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki withdrew from the race. He said al-Zaidi’s nomination had the support of a major parliamentary bloc within complex political balances.

Tamimi said the court could delay its ruling for more than a month, adding that its decisions are final, binding and cannot be appealed.

Arab World

Last Australians Leave Syria Camp Holding Suspected Militant Relatives

Zeinab Ahmad, one of two women linked to alleged ISIS militants, is seen being taken away in an armored police vehicle outside the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in Melbourne on May 8, 2026, following her court appearance. (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP)
Zeinab Ahmad, one of two women linked to alleged ISIS militants, is seen being taken away in an armored police vehicle outside the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in Melbourne on May 8, 2026, following her court appearance. (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP)
TT
TT

Last Australians Leave Syria Camp Holding Suspected Militant Relatives

Zeinab Ahmad, one of two women linked to alleged ISIS militants, is seen being taken away in an armored police vehicle outside the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in Melbourne on May 8, 2026, following her court appearance. (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP)
Zeinab Ahmad, one of two women linked to alleged ISIS militants, is seen being taken away in an armored police vehicle outside the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in Melbourne on May 8, 2026, following her court appearance. (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP)

The last Australian women and children held in a northeast Syria camp housing relatives of suspected foreign militants left the site this week seeking to return home, a camp official told AFP on Saturday.

"Twenty-one Australians left Roj camp" on Thursday -- seven women and 14 children, aged eight to 14 -- the Kurdish administrative official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Syrian Kurdish forces control the Roj camp, where relatives of suspected foreign militants including Westerners have been held for years.

"They were handed over to the Syrian government and transferred to the Syrian capital with the aim of sending them to Australia," the official said, adding: "There are no more Australians remaining in Roj."

Earlier this month, 13 more Australians -- four women and their nine children -- flew home from Syria.

Two of the women, a mother and a daughter, were arrested on arrival, with police accusing them of having kept a female slave after travelling to Syria in 2014 to support the ISIS, and of crimes against humanity.

They had been detained by Kurdish forces in 2019.

A third woman was also arrested on arrival in Australia and charged with entering a restricted area and joining a "terrorist organization.”

The fourth woman was not arrested.

Small groups of women and children flew back to Australia in 2019, 2022 and 2025.

Arab World

Tunisia Jails Former Head of Anti-graft Body for 10 Years

Former head of National Anti-Corruption Authority Chawki Tabib (Getty)
Former head of National Anti-Corruption Authority Chawki Tabib (Getty)
TT
TT

Tunisia Jails Former Head of Anti-graft Body for 10 Years

Former head of National Anti-Corruption Authority Chawki Tabib (Getty)
Former head of National Anti-Corruption Authority Chawki Tabib (Getty)

A Tunisian court sentenced the former head of the national anti-graft body to 10 years in prison over charges including forging documents, his lawyer said on Friday.

Chawki Tabib, who is also a prominent lawyer and the former head of the Tunisian bar association, was arrested last April.

Defense lawyer Samir Dilou said Tabib, 62, was convicted on Thursday of "forging documents" and "possessing and using forged documents.”

The charges came after a complaint lodged against him following a report by the National Anti-Corruption Authority, which Tabib headed from 2016 to 2020, accusing former prime minister Elyes Fakhfakh of a conflict of interest during his tenure.

According to AFP, Fakhfakh then sacked Tabib, who called the measure "unconstitutional" and an "abuse of power.”

The anti-graft body was dissolved in 2021 after a sweeping power grab by President Kais Saied, which rights groups have said precipitated a major rollback in freedoms in Tunisia.

Tabib has defended several political opponents of Saied in court.

He is currently facing other judicial cases, including over alleged money laundering and other violations during his tenure as head of the anti-graft body.