The United Nations is moving to renew the mandate of “UNIFIL” in Lebanon with the reduction of forces

Later on Friday, the United Nations Security Council will extend the mandate of the peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon for one more year, but will reduce the number of soldiers, amid Israeli and American criticism over the efficiency of the mission, diplomats said.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which was formed in 1978, patrols Lebanon’s southern border with Israel, known as the Blue Line. Washington considers Hezbollah, which supports the Syrian government and has a strong presence in southern Lebanon, as a terrorist organization.

The United States and Israel are calling for the need to reduce the number of UNIFIL forces, to be more powerful and better able to enter Hezbollah-controlled areas. Both refer to recent incidents at the border in areas under UNIFIL control and see them as evidence of the need to reinforce forces.

The extension of UNIFIL’s mandate comes at a time when Lebanon is experiencing a financial crisis, political stalemate and the aftermath of a massive explosion in Beirut that killed 180 people.

France circulated a final consensus copy in the Security Council on Thursday, which will be put to a vote on Friday afternoon.

An official from the French presidency said the renewal of the mandate has now been confirmed. “This is important for Israel and Lebanon, of which Hezbollah is expected not to do anything that could lead to escalation,” he said.

The draft resolution, which was seen by Reuters, has been toughened, as it demands UNIFIL access to the tunnels discovered on the Blue Line and calls on the Lebanese authorities to investigate them. It also condemns efforts to restrict the movement of the mission.