US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz is scheduled to visit Beirut, Lebanon on November 16 to discuss post-UNIFIL security arrangements in southern Lebanon ahead of the force's mandate ending on December 31, 2026, according to Al Jazeera.
￭ In a speech at the Israel Today summit in New York on November 11, Waltz attacked the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), calling it a "human shield for terrorists" and declaring: "I am going there next week to get rid of this human shield known as UNIFIL and change the peacekeeping mission that has been there for 20 years.
￭ His visit follows talks between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris regarding a proposed alternative oversight mechanism.