Updated

UN peacekeepers with UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, are preparing to leave southern Lebanon after 48 years patrolling the Blue Line, UN News reported on Wednesday. The mission's spokesperson, Kandice Ardiel, speaking from Naqoura, said the situation in the south remains volatile and extremely difficult for communities rebuilding their lives, despite a significant decrease in hostilities since a June agreement between the United States, Lebanon and Israel. Ardiel said daily violations by Israeli forces continue, including construction of military positions and roads, military operations, demolitions, airstrikes and artillery fire. UNIFIL also reported that a routine patrol near Wadi Jilu was fired upon on Tuesday, with peacekeepers returning fire and no injuries reported; the force has called for a prompt investigation by the Lebanese Government. UN data show the number of internally displaced people who have returned home rose 13 per cent since September, to nearly one million, while about 304,500 remain displaced. Many villages are heavily damaged, and electricity, water and roads need rebuilding. The Security Council voted in August 2025 not to renew the mandate beyond the end of 2026, with withdrawal preparations expected to begin in January 2027, and the Council is considering options but has decided nothing yet. Ardiel said national staff, many of whom have lost homes or family members, face a particularly difficult transition, and she stressed the need for continued international presence.