UN Sets Vote on Troop Cut to Lebanon Force After U.S. Pressure
The United Nations Security Council is set to cut its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (along the Lebanon - Israeli border) following U.S. pressure to reduce its numbers, according to a text of the resolution shared among diplomats.
French diplomats circulated a resolution to the council on Thursday that authorizes the reduction of the troop ceiling to 13,000 soldiers from 15,000, a symbolic nod to long-running U.S. demands, in order to maintain a mission most council members argue is indispensable to keeping the peace between Israel and Lebanon.
The compromise allows the U.S. to declare victory while maintaining the force largely intact. The U.S. and Israel have long criticized the UN mission ... During talks at the UN, the U.S. urged the council to cut the troop levels ... Some hawkish advisers to the Trump administration have called on the UN to completely dismantle the $500 million mission, of which the U.S. is the biggest financial backer.
UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, was established in 1978 to patrol Lebanon’s southern border with Israel. After a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, its mandate was expanded with a more ambitious goal of making the area weapons-free.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-27/un-prepares-troop-cuts-in-lebanon-force-following-u-s-pressure?srnd=politics-vp
