BEIRUT, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Wednesday extended the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon for another year amid pressure from the United States for the UN force to take action against Hezbollah militants, local media reported.
The council unanimously backed a French-drafted resolution over the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) tasked with monitoring a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.
France argued that UNIFIL had succeeded in maintaining calm in south Lebanon but the United States pushed for action by the mission against Hezbollah militants it accuses of stockpiling weapons and readying for war.
"Conditions in south Lebanon are very dangerous today. The clouds of war are gathering," the report cited a senior U.S. official as saying.
It added that UNIFIL exists to help prevent war from happening again and it is supposed to do that.
The resolution highlights that UNIFIL has the authority to "take all necessary actions" in areas where its forces are deployed and must ensure that its area of operations is "not utilized for hostile activities of any kind."
