Security Council renews mandate of United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon

Israel and the United States have achieved a victory at the United Nations Security Council with the body's decision to expand the mandate and number of ground troops of UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon. It will also be required to tour southern Lebanon where Hizbullah is illegally operating and report instances where the terrorist group denies access to the UNIFIL team. UNIFIL's presence in southern Lebanon will be significantly increased and the global force will be required to expand its activities by entering villages and towns when investigating Hezbollah's violations of United Nations resolutions.

The UN-backed ceasefire agreement increased the number of UNIFIL troops from 2,000 to more than 10,000.

Conditions in southern Lebanon are very risky as Hezbollah is rearming itself, she warned.

The Unifil commander had "an embarrassing lack of understanding of what's going on", she said.

Israeli ambassadors and military officers have claimed regularly for more than a decade that Hezbollah weapons were being hidden in Unifil's areas of operation, but have never produced any evidence to back up the allegations. "The clouds of war are gathering", US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council after the vote.

Anne Gueguen, the deputy permanent representative of France to the United Nations, thanked council members for a cooperative and constructive attitude during a hard negotiation, in her capacity as representative of France, the UNIFIL penholder. "For too long, Unifil's leadership has failed to make sure this goal is realised".

The debate turned frosty when UNIFIL's chief, Maj.

Ambassador Danny Danon announced a "victory for Israel in the Security Council" regarding the adoption of a new resolution forcing the United Nations peacekeeping mission to act against Hezbollah's buildup.

Ms Haley's judgment is not shared by the Government.

"UNIFIL, of course, can do better and can do more, but no one within this council can imagine, for one second, the environment (of stability) existing there without UNIFIL", she said.

"That task remains crucial".

UNIFIL peacekeepers patrol on their armored vehicles near Adaisseh village near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, January 4, 2016.

"During his tenure as Minister for Defence, it was his pleasure to nominate Major General Beary for the post of force commander and head of mission of Unifil".