Ahead of the United Nations Security Council’s scheduled discussion later this month on whether to renew the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Israel and the United States have notified Council members that they oppose an automatic extension and are calling for a thorough reassessment of the peacekeeping force’s role and effectiveness.

A diplomat familiar with the ongoing negotiations told The Jerusalem Post that this position stems from UNIFIL’s “prolonged failure to prevent Hezbollah’s infiltration into southern Lebanon and its inability to enforce the Lebanese government’s sovereignty over the area.”

Israel and the U.S. are actively engaging other Security Council members in efforts to block support for an automatic renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate. At minimum, they seek significant changes to the force’s mission and operations, aiming to replace routine mandate extensions with a substantive debate focused on UNIFIL’s actual performance and future direction.

According to the report, Israel and the U.S. have put forward two alternatives: one option is to terminate UNIFIL’s mandate entirely and withdraw the force gradually from southern Lebanon. The other is to approve only a limited one-year extension, with a narrowly defined mission that includes the orderly dismantling of UNIFIL positions, coordinated withdrawal alongside the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), and full transfer of security responsibility to the Lebanese government.

At both political and military levels, Israeli officials see a rare strategic opening. They believe that Hezbollah’s current vulnerabilities, coupled with increasing domestic pressures within Lebanon, could create an opportunity for the Lebanese government to reclaim control and reestablish sovereignty over the south.

“The Lebanese government’s recent decision to begin disarming Hezbollah underscores that this may be a once-in-a-generation chance to act against the organization," an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post.

In recent days, the Israeli and American proposals have been complemented by a French initiative advocating a one-year extension of UNIFIL’s mandate followed by the force’s phased dismantlement and withdrawal.

Diplomats at the UN suggest there is a genuine possibility that this approach could become the Security Council’s final decision, the report noted.