The UN Security Council Friday extended for another year the mandate of the UN's peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, strengthened after the Israeli-Hezbollah war in August 2006.
In a resolution unanimously adopted, the council said it "Commends the positive role of UNIFIL (the UN force), whose deployment together with the Lebanese Armed Forces has helped to establish a new strategic environment in Southern Lebanon."
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon monitors the separation of forces following the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon. The force also helps the Lebanese armed forces deploy to the area, and helps make sure humanitarian assistance reaches area civilians.
The UN resolution extends UNIFIL's mission, which officially ends on August 31, by one year. The UN peacekeeping force was first deployed in the region since 1978. It currently has 13,500 troops along with 1,000 civilian employees, compared to only 2,000 before 2006.