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LEBANON – United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)

Lebanon, a Mediterranean country in the Middle East, gained its independence in 1947. Since then periods of peace and political instability have been interchanging.

In 1978, following attacks by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, Israel invaded Lebanon in order to destroy Palestinian bases there. In March 1978, the UN Security Council adopted Resolutions 425 and 426 which called for the cessation of action, as well as the establishment and subsequent deployment of UNIFIL forces (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) in South Lebanon. The initial purpose was to control the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and ensure respect towards the armistice between the countries. However, the unstable situation demanded the continuous presence of UN forces. The last of the armed conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah's armed wing in July 2006 was followed by the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (11 August 2006) which called for the extension of UNIFIL's strength to the maximum of 15,000 soldiers. This decision was motivated by the situation in Lebanon which constituted a threat to international peace and security.

On 7 September 2006, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia decided to deploy 12 SAF members to the UNIFIL operation, thereby contributing to the settling of the situation in Lebanon. The first SAF members were deployed in December 2006. Since 2019, the Slovenian Armed Forces’ presence in UNIFIL has been gradually decreasing.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia decided to conclude the UNIFIL operation on 31 July 2023.

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