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Israel and Lebanon ·

The withdrawal from Lebanon, the Blue Line and Resolution 1701

A unilateral withdrawal confirmed by the UN, a line of withdrawal identified by the UN, and a Security Council resolution calling for a cessation of hostilities; none of these is an agreement between the parties, an agreed border or a peace treaty.23

In 30 seconds

In 2000 Israel withdrew from Lebanon, and the UN identified the Blue Line to confirm the withdrawal; the line is not a border.12 In 2006, after a war between Israel and Hezbollah, Resolution 1701 set out a cessation of hostilities and arrangements for southern Lebanon.3 Central parts of it were never implemented.

Where it stands today

As of October 2026 Resolution 1701 is still treated as the basis for arrangements in southern Lebanon, but it is only partly implemented.45 UNIFIL's mandate was given what the Council described as a final extension, to 31 December 2026, and Lebanon has asked the Security Council to extend it.56

In one sentence

To set a line against which Israel's departure from Lebanon could be checked and, after the 2006 war, to leave only state and UN forces in southern Lebanon.

The challenge

In 1978 the Security Council, in Resolution 425, called on Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory and set up the UN force UNIFIL to confirm the withdrawal and help Lebanon restore its authority in the area.1

Israel and Lebanon have no agreed official border, so a practical line was needed against which a withdrawal could be checked.2 In 2006 a further need arose: to stop a war between Israel and Hezbollah and prevent it from resuming.3

The road there

  1. Security Council Resolution 425; UNIFIL is established.1
  2. Israel pulls its forces out of Lebanon.1
  3. The UN Secretary-General concludes that Israel has completed its withdrawal in line with Resolution 425.1
  4. The Security Council endorses the Secretary-General's conclusion in presidential statement S/PRST/2000/21.1
  5. The Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 1701.3
  6. The cessation of hostilities takes effect; in it both sides commit to full implementation of Resolution 1701.4
  7. Resolution 2790 gives UNIFIL's mandate what it describes as a final extension, to 31 December 2026.5

What Resolution 1701 says

  • Hezbollah is to stop all attacks immediately, and Israel is to stop all offensive military operations immediately.3
  • Lebanon deploys 15,000 soldiers in the south as the Israeli army withdraws, and UNIFIL is enlarged from about 2,000 to a maximum of 15,000.3
  • The area between the Blue Line and the Litani River is to be free of armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese government and UNIFIL.3
  • All armed groups in Lebanon are to be disarmed, so that there are no weapons or authority other than those of the Lebanese state.3
  • No arms may be supplied to anyone in Lebanon other than the government, except with its authorisation or UNIFIL's.3
  • The Secretary-General was asked to propose ways to delineate the border, including in disputed areas such as the Shebaa Farms.3

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The geography

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Schematic map of Israel and its neighbours with line typesSYRIALEBANONGolan HeightsDamascusBeirut

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Layers · Legend
  • International boundary agreed in a peace treaty
  • Treaty line with Jordan, “without prejudice to the status” of the territory beyond it
  • 1949 armistice line (“Green Line”) — not an agreed final border
  • “Blue Line” — UN line of withdrawal (2000), not a border
  • Ceasefire / disengagement line with Syria (1974)
  • Other international boundary
  • West Bank and Gaza Strip: permanent status not agreed
  • Golan Heights: held by Israel since 1967; annexation not recognised by the UN
  • UN area of separation (UNDOF)

Classification follows the original research as of 7 Oct 2026. This schematic map is not a legal boundary map or a live update.

  • International boundary agreed in a peace treaty
  • Treaty line with Jordan, “without prejudice to the status” of the territory beyond it
  • 1949 armistice line (“Green Line”) — not an agreed final border
  • “Blue Line” — UN line of withdrawal (2000), not a border
  • Ceasefire / disengagement line with Syria (1974)
  • Other international boundary
  • West Bank and Gaza Strip: permanent status not agreed
  • Golan Heights: held by Israel since 1967; annexation not recognised by the UN
  • UN area of separation (UNDOF)

Schematic map. Lines are approximate and are not a legal determination. Data: Natural Earth (public domain), 1:10m scale; line classification and place names by this site. Lines as of October 2026. Peace map

The hard decisions

  • The resolution requires Lebanon to disarm armed organisations, of which Hezbollah is the most prominent; the Lebanese state has struggled to carry this out.3
  • The resolution stresses the need for the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers, and encourages efforts to settle the issue of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel.3

What was carried out

  • The Security Council confirmed in June 2000 that Israel had withdrawn from Lebanon in line with Resolution 425.1
  • The UN marked the Blue Line on the ground with blue barrels; marking began about six years after the line was identified.2

What was not

  • The disarmament of armed groups and the clearing of armed personnel from the area south of the Litani were never completed: the cessation of hostilities of November 2024 set out the same demands again.4
  • As of August 2025 Israel held five positions on Lebanese territory; Resolution 2790 called on it to withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory, including those positions.5

What remains open

  • The Blue Line is not a border: according to UNIFIL there is at present no official border between Israel and Lebanon. The technical fence, which often runs parallel to the line, is neither the Blue Line nor the border.2
  • UNIFIL is due to end operations on 31 December 2026 and withdraw over about a year from 1 January 2027; Lebanon argues this is premature, and Israel's ambassador to the UN has said the Council's decision should be respected.56

Sources

  1. Primary UN Security Council (reproduced by the Jewish Virtual Library) · 18 June 2000
    Statement by the President of the Security Council, S/PRST/2000/21
  2. Primary UNIFIL (United Nations) · 19 December 2012
    Mr. Blue Barrel explains the Blue line
  3. Primary United Nations · 11 August 2006
    Security Council calls for end to hostilities between Hizbollah, Israel, unanimously adopting resolution 1701 (2006) (SC/8808)
  4. Primary PA-X Peace Agreements Database (University of Edinburgh) · 26 November 2024
    Announcement of a Cessation of Hostilities and Related Commitments on Enhanced Security Arrangements and Towards the Implementation of UNSCR 1701
  5. Primary United Nations Peacekeeping · 28 August 2025
    Security Council Extends UNIFIL's Mandate: Resolution 2790 (2025)
  6. Press The National · 14 September 2026
    Lebanon urges UN to reconsider 'premature' Unifil withdrawal