United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
- Duration
- 25 February 1979 - 6 November 1985
- Military personnel
- 9.084
- Fatalities
- 9
- Decorations
- none
In 1975, a civil war broke out in Lebanon, a land once known because of its riches as 'the Switzerland of the Middle East'. That war was the result of internal tensions and conflicts. The Muslim population was unhappy about the socio-economically privileged position of the Maronite-Christian elite.
Temporary halt to the civil war
There was also considerable opposition to the strict religious sectarianism in Lebanese society and in the political system. Lastly, the Maronites were fearful of the Palestinian groups, some armed, which were acting more and more as a 'state within a state'. After a year of war, the Lebanese government apparatus had ceased to exist altogether. Under pressure from the Arab League, the civil war in Lebanon came to a temporary halt in October 1976.
Establishment of UNIFIL
A particularly bloody attack on 11 March 1978 prompted Israel to seize the Lebanese territory up to the Litani river during the night of 14-15 March. In response to the occupation, the Lebanese government lodged a protest with the Security Council. On 19 March, the Council then adopted a resolution, which called for Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. The UNIFIL peace force was to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, restore international peace and security in the border region and help the Lebanese government to re-establish control in South Lebanon.
Adapted mandate
After the Israeli invasion in June 1982, the Security Council issued resolution 511, adapting UNIFIL’s mandate to deal with the new situation. UNIFIL troops were to remain in their positions unless their own safety was seriously compromised. They were to concentrate on protecting the population and on providing humanitarian aid to the tens of thousands of Lebanese and Palestinian refugees who had fled to the relative safety of the UNIFIL area after the Israeli attack.