'Not Time To Redraw': China Calls For Review Of UN Decision To End UNIFIL Mission In Lebanon

Last Updated:May 02, 2026, 16:31 IST

UNIFIL, deployed in 1978, has long been tasked with monitoring the southern Lebanese border with Israel.

China on Friday urged the United Nations Security Council to reconsider its decision to wind down the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), saying the situation on the ground did not support an immediate withdrawal.

The remarks came from China’s ambassador to the UN, Fu Cong, as Beijing assumed the presidency of the Security Council for the month of May.

UNIFIL, deployed in 1978, has long been tasked with monitoring the southern Lebanese border with Israel. Last year, the Security Council had agreed to begin a phased drawdown of the mission by the end of 2026. However, China has now called for a reassessment of that timeline.

Fu said there was effectively no stable ceasefire in place, calling the situation instead as a “lesser fire". He stressed that continued hostilities made it necessary to revisit the withdrawal plan, adding that it was important for Israel to halt its military operations in Lebanon.

“It is incumbent on Israel to stop this bombardment of Lebanon," he told.

(With inputs from Reuters)

News world 'Not Time To Redraw': China Calls For Review Of UN Decision To End UNIFIL Mission In Lebanon

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