The United Nations Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for a final period that runs through 31 December 2026. Under the measure, the mission’s roughly 10,800 military and civilian personnel must begin an "orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal" on 1 January 2027 and complete their departure within twelve months, in close coordination with the Lebanese government. The compromise text balances U.S. and Israeli calls for a swift termination with European and Lebanese concerns over a security vacuum in southern Lebanon, where the Iran-backed group Hezbollah maintains a significant presence. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the extension, while Israel’s UN envoy hailed the forthcoming pull-out as “good news.” Created in 1978 and expanded after the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, UNIFIL has monitored the Blue Line and supported the Lebanese Armed Forces. The resolution urges Israel to withdraw any remaining troops north of the Blue Line and asks international donors to increase support for Lebanon’s army so it can assume full responsibility for security once the peacekeepers leave.