In 2006, after a bruising monthlong war between Israel and Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted for a resolution to end the conflict and pave the way for lasting security along the border.
But while there was relative calm for nearly two decades, Resolution 1701's terms were never fully enforced.
And now, after nearly a year of low-level clashes, Israel and Hezbollah appear on the verge of another all-out war. As Israeli jets pound deep inside Lebanon and Hezbollah fires rockets deeper into northern Israel, U.N. and diplomatic officials have again turned to the 2006 resolution in a bid to end the conflict.
Years of deeply divided politics and regionwide geopolitical hostilities have halted substantial progress on its implementation, yet Resolution 1701 is still considered the brightest prospect for long-term stability between Israel and Lebanon.
What is UNSC Resolution 1701?
In 2000, Israel withdrew its forces from most of southern Lebanon along a U.N.-demarcated "Blue Line" that separated the two countries and the annexed Golan Heights. U.N. peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, increased their presence along the line of withdrawal.
Resolution 1701 was supposed to finish the incomplete work from 2000 and end the 2006 war; Israeli forces would fully withdraw while the Lebanese army and UNIFIL — Hezbollah excluded — would be the exclusive armed presence south of Lebanon's Litani River.
The Lebanese state was to have full sovereignty over its south.
Meanwhile, up to 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers would help to maintain calm, return displaced Lebanese and secure the area alongside the Lebanese group.