1 June 1999: Secretary-General condemns killing of Irish UNIFIL soldier
On 1 June 1999, Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned the killing of a member of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon. Private William Kedian, a member of the Irish contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, was killed on 31 May by a mortar round fired by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF)/de facto forces (DFF). In a statement released by his Spokesman, the Secretary-General said he was deeply saddened by the death of Private Kedian and expressed his deep condolences to the family and to the Government of Ireland. He condemned this attack against United Nations personnel and calls on the Government of Israel to take all necessary measures to ensure that its Defence Forces and their local Lebanese auxiliary respected the non-combatant status of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Private Kedian was the seventy-seventh UN peacekeeper to die from hostile fire in Lebanon since 1978.

28 January 1999:Security Council, upon recommendation by Secretary-General,
extends UNIFIL's mandate until 31 July 1999
The Security Council, on 28 January 1999, extended UNIFIL's mandate for six months through 31 July 1999 by adopting resolution 1223(1999) . The consideration, by the Council, of the mission was based on recommendations contained in report S/1999/16 forwarded by the Secretary-General to the Council on 19 January 1999, which covered the Force's activities and developments in the area of its operation for 16 July 1998 to 15 January 1999.

According to the report hostilities continued during the past six months between the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and its local Lebanese auxiliary, the de facto forces (DFF), on the one hand, and armed elements who proclaimed their resistance against the Israeli occupation, on the other. UNIFIL recorded 386 operations conducted by armed elements against IDF/DFF - the highest number in a long time.There were also reports of some 280 operations north of the Litani River. The vast majority of those operations were carried out by the Islamic Resistance, the military wing of the Shiite Muslim Hizbullah organization. The Shiite movement Amal took responsibility for some 30 operations; a few were attributed to other Lebanese groups. The armed elements employed small arms, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank missiles, recoilless rifles, rockets and explosive devices. They fired some 3,000 mortar rounds, rockets and anti-tank missiles, as compared to about 3,500 rounds in the previous reporting period. IDF/DFF, in response to attacks or in operations they initiated, employed artillery, mortars, tanks, helicopter gunships, fixed-wing aircraft and explosive devices. IDF continued its practice of conducting pre-emptive artillery bombardments but reduced long-range patrols forward of its positions. UNIFIL recorded close to 18,000 rounds of artillery, mortar, tanks and missiles fired by IDF/DFF, an increase of 70 per cent over the last reporting period. Israeli navy continued to patrol Lebanese territorial waters in the south and imposed fishing restrictions.

UNIFIL continued its efforts to limit the conflict and to protect the inhabitants from the fighting. Through its network of checkpoints and observation posts, an active programme of patrolling, and continuous contacts with the parties, the Force did its best to prevent its area of operation from being used for hostile activities and to defuse situations that could lead to escalation. Nevertheless, civilians were again killed or injured, and the Force at times encountered hostile reactions from both sides. The Force assisted the civilian population through medical care, harvest patrols and the distribution of educational material and equipment to schools and orphanages.

The Secretary-General observed that fighting in south Lebanon continued at an increased pace and the situation in the area remained volatile and dangerous, with a heightened risk of escalation. Regrettably, civilians were again killed and injured. As before, UNIFIL did its best to limit the conflict and to protect the inhabitants. While UNIFIL continues to be prevented from implementing the mandate contained in resolution 425 (1978), its contribution to stability and the protection it was able to afford the population of the area remain important. He therefore recommended that the Security Council extend the mandate of UNIFIL for another period of six months, until 31 July 1999.

The Security Council, in a Presidential Statement S/PRST/1999/4 issued on 28 January 1999 after adopting resolution 1223(1999), shared the observations of the Secretary-General contained in the report. The Council commended UNIFIL's troops and troop-contributing countries for their sacrifices and commitment to the cause of international peace and security under difficult circumstances.