DUBAI: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has urged the UN Security Council to extend the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for another year, warning that its withdrawal would leave a security vacuum in southern Lebanon.

Meeting UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to the continued presence of the peacekeeping force, highlighting its role since the start of its mission and the sacrifices made by its military personnel.

Aoun said Israeli attacks and the occupation of southern Lebanese villages and towns, most of which fall within UNIFIL’s area of operations, made the force’s continued presence particularly important.

Its withdrawal would have negative consequences for regional security and leave developments on the ground without international monitoring, he said.

The president also highlighted UNIFIL’s social, humanitarian, healthcare and educational activities, saying they had strengthened its ties with southern Lebanon’s residents, who welcomed its presence, trusted its role and wanted it to remain in their communities.

Aoun expressed hope that the Security Council would respond to Lebanon’s request for a one-year extension, noting that the council had previously designated the coming year as the period for the force’s withdrawal.

He said UNIFIL’s continued presence would be particularly important if Israeli forces withdrew to the international border and the Lebanese army deployed in the area, adding that the army would need the peacekeepers’ essential humanitarian and logistical support.