United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon face mounting dangers as their mission draws to a close amid escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Since hostilities resumed in early March, seven members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) have been killed, reflecting the increasingly perilous environment in which they operate.
The fatalities include four Indonesian peacekeepers—two killed when an Israeli tank fired on their position and two by an improvised explosive device believed to have been planted by Hezbollah. In April, two French peacekeepers died from small arms fire during an apparent Hezbollah ambush, and in June, a Serbian soldier was killed by a shell explosion of uncertain origin. These losses have significantly constrained Unifil’s operational capacity, with patrols and weapon inspections largely suspended due to the risk of active combat.
Kandice Ardiel, a Unifil spokesperson, emphasized that while the mandate remains in effect, conditions on the ground have severely limited the peacekeepers’ activities. “Before 2 March, Unifil had fairly wide-ranging patrols within each contingent’s area of operations to look for unauthorized weapons and to monitor the situation,” Ardiel said. “We’re not able to do that any more. It’s just too dangerous to have peacekeepers out there when there’s active combat, when there’s projectiles being launched back and forth.”
Unifil was originally established in 1978 to oversee Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon during its civil war and has been tasked since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict with enforcing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for disarmament of armed groups and support for Lebanese government authority in the south.
However, Israel has long criticized Unifil’s effectiveness, arguing that it has failed to prevent Hezbollah’s military build-up. Earlier this year, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Dorothy Shea, stated that the time had come to end Unifil’s mission. In August 2025, the UN Security Council extended Unifil’s mandate through December 31, 2026, with plans for full withdrawal by the end of 2027.
This impending exit has drawn concern from Western allies. The UK’s UN representative, James Kariuki, warned that the Security Council lacked sufficient data to assess the consequences of Unifil’s departure. Since a ceasefire in April, exchanges of fire between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah have continued almost daily, with signs of increasing violence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed on Wednesday that Israeli forces would maintain their presence in the region as long as Hezbollah poses a threat. A U.S.-brokered arrangement linking Israel’s withdrawal with Hezbollah’s disarmament remains unaccepted by the militant group.
The conflict has inflicted severe human costs on Lebanon, with over 4,300 fatalities and displacement affecting more than 1.2 million people. Ardiel suggested that the ongoing escalation may be deliberate. “At this point, frankly, the escalation between the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah appears to be intentional,” she said.
As Unifil prepares for a phased withdrawal over the next year, the future stability of southern Lebanon remains uncertain amid continued hostilities and regional tensions.