German Defense Minister Warns Against Withdrawal of UN Mission in Lebanon

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned today, Thursday, against withdrawing the long-standing United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) operating in Lebanon during a time of escalating tensions at the border. Speaking to reporters aboard the German warship Oldenburg, which is part of the UN mission docked in the port of Beirut, he stated, "Reducing or withdrawing UNIFIL forces would send the wrong signal at this time." UNIFIL has been operating in Lebanon since 1978 to maintain peace along the border with Israel and was expanded under a UN resolution that halted the war between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in 2006.