UN Security Council to visit Syria, Lebanon next week

UNITED NATIONS

The U.N. Security Council will visit Syria and Lebanon next week, the Slovenian mission said on Nov. 25, as it looks to chair the council starting in December.

The ambassadors for 15 member states are set to visit Damascus on Dec. 4, a few days before the first anniversary of the ouster of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

The diplomats are expected to meet new authorities there, including President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the mission told reporters.

As the United Nations works to reestablish itself in Syria, the Security Council recently lifted sanctions against Sharaa, calling oh him to effect an inclusive transition.

On Nov. 25, Sharaa met with the U.S. delegation, headed by Congressman Darin LaHood.

Security Council officials will then travel to Beirut on Dec. 5, heading south the next day to meet peacekeepers with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is set to leave the country by the end of 2027 after serving as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel since 1978.

The visit comes as Lebanon has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024, which sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, by continuing its strikes and maintaining forces inside its territory.

One year after the ceasefire, the Israeli army still maintains five positions in south Lebanon, with fortifications and widened access routes.

The truce, which sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group, required Israel to fully withdraw troops from Lebanon within 60 days.

Israel has kept troops in five positions that it deems strategic, saying it wants to ensure Hezbollah does not carry out any military activities in south Lebanon.