The Security Council of the United Nations renewed for another year, Tuesday, the mandate of its 38-year-old Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The force, consisting of about 11,000 soldiers and monitors, has an annual budget of $100 million. Since 2006, its duty has included implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah terrorists. The resolution prohibits Hezbollah from operating in southern Lebanon and says the entire region should be free of weapons not controlled by the Lebanese army.