Unifil has served as a buffer since Israel’s 1978 invasion of Lebanon, but its mandate is set to end on Dec 31. (EPA Images pic)IBL SAQI: From his shop in south Lebanon near the Israeli border, Mark Diab says life in his village will be turned upside down when a decades-long United Nations peacekeeping force pulls out next year.
"Unifil isn't just business, to us it's family," said Diab, 59, whose sister is among residents of Ibl al-Saqi who have married peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon over the years. She now lives in Spain.
"We're basically open because of the UN. We started when I was young," Diab said from his shop, just down the road from a Unifil base, selling clothes along with other items including alcohol and headphones.
