Lebanon united on UN peacekeeping mission in the south, says Nabih Berri

BEIRUT — Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Wednesday that there is consensus in Lebanon on keeping the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and continuing its mission in the south in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.During a meeting in Beirut with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN undersecretary-general for peace operations, Berri said Lebanon would continue its efforts at all levels “to safeguard its sovereign rights, protect its borders and liberate every last inch of its land from Israeli occupation.”In a statement, Berri said Resolution 1701 tasks UNIFIL with monitoring the international border along the Blue Line, helping identify disputed points over which Lebanon has reservations, and monitoring and documenting daily Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty.Adopted by the UN Security Council in August 2006, the resolution established the international framework for ending hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah at the time.Berri said UNIFIL’s role “extended beyond security and military matters to include humanitarian, social, cultural and economic activities.”He said there was an official Lebanese consensus on “maintaining the presence of the international forces and their mission,” pointing to parliamentary efforts to engage the international community and the UN on the issue.According to the statement, Berri and Lacroix also discussed the general situation in Lebanon, particularly developments on the ground in UNIFIL’s area of operations in the south, amid continued Israeli attacks and violations of Resolution 1701.They also discussed Lebanon’s unified position calling for an extension of the international force’s mandate in southern Lebanon in a way that serves the interests of Lebanon and the region.UNIFIL was established in 1978 following Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon. Its mandate was significantly expanded after the July 2006 war under Security Council Resolution 1701.In August 2025, the UN Security Council decided to end UNIFIL’s mandate on Dec. 31, 2026, after which a gradual, safe and coordinated drawdown and withdrawal is to begin over the course of a year.Meanwhile, Israeli artillery shelling targeted several areas in southern Lebanon, including Mansouri and Majdal Zoun in the western sector, the Lebanese state news agency NNA reported on Wednesday.Israel also shelled the outskirts of the towns of Haddatha and Baraachit.Israeli artillery also struck the Al-Araish area, located between the towns of Haris and Haddatha in the Bint Jbeil district.Earlier in the morning, artillery shelling hit the outskirts of the town of Shaqra and Wadi al-Salouqi.There were no immediate reports on the casualties or damage caused by the attacks.