Lebanese speaker backs UNIFIL presence and accuses Israel of violations

BEIRUT — Lebanon's parliament speaker said on Sunday that Lebanon wants the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL to remain in the country, according to posts by Al Jazeera Mubasher and Al Jazeera Arabic on Telegram. The posts were published on 18 October 2026.

According to the posts, the speaker said Lebanon is committed to UN Security Council Resolution 1701. He also said Israel continues to violate all of its provisions. The posts did not include further detail on the alleged violations, and no specific incidents were named.

The reports are based on short social media posts with the same headline. The posts do not include a full transcript of the speaker's remarks, and the speaker's office has not been quoted directly in the material reviewed. Israel's response was not included in the material reviewed.

Background

Resolution 1701 was adopted by the UN Security Council in 2006 to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for the full cessation of hostilities, the deployment of Lebanese government forces in the south, and the withdrawal of Israeli and Lebanese armed forces from the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River. UNIFIL was set up under the same resolution to support the Lebanese army in the south.

Israel and Lebanon have frequently accused each other of breaching the resolution. The material reviewed for this report did not include recent details on those disputes.