United Nations Observer Group in Lebanon

UNOGIL was established by the SC in 1958 (S/RES/128) to prevent “illegal infiltration” of “armed elements” and weapons, supported by the United Arab Republic, from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic into Lebanon. UNOGIL’s mandate was limited to observing whether personnel and arms were illegally crossing the border, rather than forcibly preventing their transfer. However, the small number of troops allocated and challenging geographic conditions limited UNOGIL’s access and ability to fully observe the entire border.

In July 1958, the US informed the SC that it would deploy troops to Lebanon in response to a request from the Lebanese Government, after a coup d’état in Iraq sparked fears of a similar coup in both Lebanon and Jordan.¹ The UK also dispatched troops to Jordan at the request of the Jordanian Government. UNOGIL reported that the landing of US troops in Beirut on 15 July heightened tensions in opposition-held areas and created setbacks for achieving the mission’s tasks.

The deployment of US forces led to division in the SC over any further amendment or support to UNOGIL’s mandate, as would be necessary for it to deal with the more complex situation. As a result, in what is considered the third instance of the UFP resolution being relied upon, the SC requested an emergency special session, specifically citing the “lack of unanimity” of permanent members in 1958 (S/RES/129).

Before the emergency special session could be held, continued talks between the parties involved, progress by UNOGIL in its observer tasks, and other developments in the region had largely defused the crisis. Nonetheless, the GA’s actions during the 3rd emergency special session helped to further defuse the issue of foreign (US) forces on Lebanese territory. The final substantive resolution, passed in August 1958 without a vote (A/RES/1237(ES-III)), requested the Secretary-General to facilitate the withdrawal of foreign troops from Lebanon and Jordan.² This effectively expanded UNOGIL’s mandate to also oversee the withdrawal of US forces. While Jordan did not agree to observers on its territory, it accepted a representative of the Secretary-General to assist in implementing the resolution.³

The GA’s resolutions with regard to UNOGIL, and the subsequent actions taken both in Lebanon and Jordan, reinforces the principle that the GA can extend the authority of peace operations, provided it has the consent of the host government. It also demonstrates a strong complementarity between the SC and the GA, with the SC passing an active crisis mitigation situation to the GA at a time when it was at a standstill, but then with SC members continuing to be seized with the matter and working in complement with the resolutions of the 3rd emergency special session.