China urges Security Council to revisit UNIFIL withdrawal as Israel-Hezbollah fighting intensifies

China has urged the UN Security Council to revisit its decision to terminate the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), arguing that escalating hostilities and mounting peacekeeper casualties make a withdrawal premature. Speaking to reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Friday, Ambassador Fu Cong voiced China’s deep concern over the situation in Lebanon as Beijing assumed the council’s rotating presidency for May.

He said a genuine ceasefire did not exist, calling the current situation a “lesser fire,” and added: “It is incumbent on Israel to stop this bombardment of Lebanon.” Fu said there is a need to re-examine the council’s decision to end UNIFIL’s mandate, which is due to expire later this year.

Fu noted that, in his view, an overwhelming majority on the council believes this is not the time to withdraw UNIFIL from that area of Lebanon. He also said China is waiting for a report from the UN secretariat, expected in June, “before we take our position.” The call comes as UNIFIL has faced a growing number of casualties, with Israel continuing air raids despite a ceasefire and Hezbollah responding with rockets and drones.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 have killed 2,618 people and forced more than one million to flee their homes. Established to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops after the 1978 invasion, UNIFIL’s mandate was expanded after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah to help maintain a demilitarised buffer between the sides.

The Security Council unanimously resolved last year to begin withdrawing the mission’s 10,800 international peacekeepers by December 2026. According to UN officials, at least six peacekeepers have been killed and many others injured since Israel began its attack on March 2.

Those killed include soldiers from Indonesia and France, with fatalities occurring in shelling and roadside attacks. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the incidents, noting that the UN’s “blue helmets” have come under fire while clearing explosive ordnance and escorting logistics convoys.

China’s push to revisit UNIFIL’s future sets up a debate in the council in the coming weeks. Fu said Beijing will review the UN secretariat’s June report before taking a formal position on whether the mission’s drawdown should proceed as planned.