The future of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon has split the United States and its European allies with implications for security in the Middle East.

The future of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon has become a point of contention between the United States and its European allies, exposing a new rift in transatlantic relations and raising questions about stability in the Middle East.

At issue is the peacekeeping operation known as Unifil, whose mandate expires at the end of August and will need to be renewed by the UN Security Council to continue. It was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion,