China's ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Cong, has called for a re-examination of the Security Council's decision to terminate the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is set to end later this year. Speaking at UN headquarters in New York on Friday, Fu expressed deep concern over the situation in Lebanon as Beijing assumed the council's rotating presidency for May.

Fu noted that a genuine ceasefire does not exist in Lebanon, describing the current state of conflict as merely a 'lesser fire'. 'We do believe that we should revisit the decision to withdraw UNIFIL,' he said, adding that the overwhelming majority of the Security Council agrees that now is not the time to pull out peacekeepers.

China is awaiting a report from the UN secretariat, expected in June, before taking a final position. Fu also stressed that 'it is incumbent on Israel to stop this bombardment of Lebanon.' UNIFIL was established in 1978 to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops and expanded after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Last year, the UNSC unanimously resolved to begin withdrawing UNIFIL's 10,800 international peacekeepers by December 2026. However, according to Lebanese authorities, Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed 2,618 people and displaced over one million. The mission has also suffered casualties, with at least six peacekeepers killed and many injured.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned these incidents, noting that UN 'blue helmets' have come under fire while performing essential duties such as clearing ordnance and escorting convoys.

Source: www.aljazeera.com