*Melissa Rossi is a researcher at the Brazilian Naval War College

At the end of August, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 2650 (2022), extending the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for another year, in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and, particularly, the Lebanese Navy (LAF-N). The resolution, however, also reiterates that the time has come for LAF-N to speed up the enhancement of its naval capabilities in order for the UNIFIL to gradually decrease its Maritime Taskforce’s (MTF) presence in the country.

Approved by UNSC Resolution 1701 (2006), UNIFIL’s MTF is an essential part of the overall UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. Its MTF aims at preparing and training the Lebanese Navy while also patrolling Lebanese waters and acting directly in the interdiction of illicit weapons attempting to enter the country. It is, moreover, the very first UN MTF, helping to set a precedent for future peacekeeping actions of such nature. Germany has been at the helm of the mission since January 2021, when it took over the responsibilities from the Brazilian leadership (Brazil led UNIFIL’s MTF for almost 10 years prior to Germany).

Marco Koester, Commander of the German Navy, commented that the impact of Resolution 2650 does not only aim to reduce the MTF but also ‘to make the success of the mission measurable and to establish benchmarks.’ An important step undertaken in December 2022 was the MTF’s handover of maritime surveillance responsibilities for the Beirut transit corridor to the Lebanese Navy. CDR Koester believes that in the future, with the improvement of the coastal radar stations funded by the German Federal Government and the training and support of the German training center, greater independence from the MTF will soon be achieved in this respect as well.[1]

It is important to mention that since it was established, UNIFIL’s MTF has hailed more than 113,000 ships, of which more than 16,000 were referred to the Lebanese Navy.

Resolution 2650 (2022) has also extended Resolution 2591’s (2021) call for the supply of non-lethal material to the LAF (i.e. food, medical supplies and fuel) for a period of 6 months as Lebanon faces one of the most devastating economic crises in its history. Indeed, supplying food and medicine is not a common action undertaken by UN peacekeeping missions, but the mission has nonetheless agreed to take on some of these emergency logistical responsibilities in order to aid the LAF until 28 February 2023.

Another important development worth highlighting is the recent maritime border agreement between Israel and Lebanon. Despite not holding diplomatic relations, both countries have signed a deal in October 2022 that will allow them to explore much needed and contested gas fields. Although the MTF is not responsible for monitoring the Israeli-Lebanese maritime border, it is worth mentioning that the historic maritime border agreement is a further step to de-escalate tensions, which contributes to the overall maritime stability in the region.