Lebanon15 August, 20263 min read
Chinese Peacekeepers In Lebanon Complete UNIFIL Training Area Restoration Under Security Council Resolution 1701
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Chinese peacekeepers completed restoration of UNIFIL training area in Naqoura, passed inspection UNIFIL comprises about 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries
UNIFIL mandate and engineering
On Monday, August 10, 2026, the 24th contingent of Chinese peacekeepers in Lebanon completed their mission of cleaning and restoring the UNIFIL Integrated Training Area in Naqoura, Lebanon, to high standards, passing an official inspection by UNIFIL and receiving commendation from the mission’s leadership. The Modern Diplomacy account says the Chinese peacekeeping force operates within the framework of the UN mandate and Security Council Resolution 1701, supporting stability and providing humanitarian and engineering services without facilitating intelligence operations or direct military surveillance for any party. It adds that the Chinese engineering and medical units’ work in Lebanon focused on repairing protective barriers, maintaining facilities within camps, preparing surrounding roads, and providing purely engineering support to protect UN premises from the repercussions of Israeli clashes in southern Lebanon.
The same article says Chinese units may also be involved in monitoring the political climate in Lebanon and other countries experiencing tension and conflict, despite not having a direct intelligence mandate. It further states that Chinese peacekeepers contribute to monitoring Israeli violations of the cessation of hostilities in southern Lebanon through observation posts and observation towers belonging to the UNIFIL military command.
HRW urges UN to stay
Human Rights Watch called on the United Nations to keep an international force in Lebanon after its peacekeepers' mandate ends this year, saying UNIFIL has roughly 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries and has been in place since 1978. ASHARQ AL-AWSAT reports that the UN Security Council decided to end UNIFIL's mandate on December 31, 2026 under US pressure, and HRW’s Louis Charbonneau said, "Pulling the plug on UNIFIL without a robust international force in place would effectively abandon millions of Lebanese civilians to an uncertain and potentially disastrous fate." The article says HRW urged the UN to extend the peacekeeping force's mandate "until the security situation has improved sufficiently to consider further reducing the force" and warned that the council should not leave Lebanese civilians unprotected.
It also reports that UN chief Antonio Guterres said peacekeepers will be needed in Lebanon after the current mandate expires, and that the suggestion is likely to face opposition from the United States and Israel. In June, the same source says Guterres proposed three options ranging from nearly 2,000 to more than 5,500 UN personnel to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and support Lebanon's armed forces.
Iran denounces strikes and UN silence
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Qaani condemned Israeli attacks on Lebanon and criticized the Security Council’s “silence” in the face of what the Anadolu Ajansı account describes as gross violations of international law. Anadolu Ajansı says Qaani, quoted via IRNA, condemned strikes in southern Lebanon including Deir al-Zahrani, Ansar, and al-Nabatay, which left at least 11 people dead, and it reports that Lebanon announced at least 11 dead in Israeli air strikes that targeted towns in the south despite the ceasefire signed on April 17. The account also says Israel intensified its attacks on southern Lebanon from dawn on Saturday, striking a house in the town of Ansar and a two-story building in the town of Deir al-Zahrani in the Nabatieh District, and it reports that Israel bombarded Al-Tahir Hill with phosphorous projectiles.
In a separate report, قناة العالم says Ismail Baqai strongly condemned attacks carried out today by the Zionist entity on several areas in Lebanon, including al-Ansar, the Ali al-Taher heights, Nabatieh al-Fouqa, and Deir el-Zahrani, resulting in the martyrdom of eleven people, including three children and two women from the same family. قناة العالم adds that Baqai said the ongoing silence of the United Nations Security Council and its inability to move in response to grave violations of international law and international humanitarian law is a matter of regret.