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Context

• United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has said that one of its members sustained injuries after shelling in Houla village near the Israeli-Lebanon border.

UNIFIL

About

• The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon is a UN peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426.

Aim

• To confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon which Israel had invaded five days prior, in order to ensure that the government of Lebanon would restore its effective authority in the area.

Genesis

• The 1978 South Lebanon conflict came in the context of Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon and the Lebanese Civil War.
• UNIFIL's mandate is renewed annually by the United Nations Security Council; it was most recently extended on 1 September 2023 with the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2695.

Composition

• It is composed of 10,000 peacekeepers from 46 nations, tasked with helping the Lebanese Army keep the south of the country protected.

Funding

• Its funding is approved on an annual basis by the General Assembly.

Objectives

• UNIFIL is tasked with the following objectives:
  • confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon
  • restore international peace and security
  • assist the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area.