U.N. to Scale Back Peacekeeping Force

Calling for an end to violence in southern Lebanon, the U.N. Security Council unanimously agreed to cut the U.N. force that is helping to restore peace after Israel’s troop withdrawal in May.

The council urged Lebanon to deploy its troops throughout the territory “to ensure the return of its effective authority and presence in the south.” Lebanon has so far refused to send its army to the border, saying it does not want its soldiers to serve as Israel’s border guards.

The resolution calls for a reduction in the U.N. force from 5,800 troops to 4,500, the level before Israel’s pullout from southern Lebanon after a 22-year occupation. It sets a July 31 deadline for implementing the reductions.