Army Unit Deploys in South as Chief Discusses Coordinated Efforts with UNIFIL
A new army unit has completed its deployment south of the Litani River, the Army Command said on Friday.
The move is part of “the Army Command's decision to boost the army's deployment on the southern border to defend it against the Israeli enemy, and to preserve its security and stability in cooperation and coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) as part of the implementation of (U.N. Security Council) Resolution 1701,” the Army Command said in a statement.
The army's announcement coincided with a visit by Army Commander General Joseph Aoun to the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura.
A UNIFIL statement said Aoun discussed with the U.N. Mission’s leadership “enhanced coordinated activities between LAF (Lebanese Army Forces) and UNIFIL in the area between the Litani River and the Blue Line in south Lebanon.”
The Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Michael Beary welcomed the visit and the deployment of additional LAF forces in the area of operations, UNIFIL said.
“He emphasized the importance of strong collaboration between UNIFIL and LAF to respond to incidents and violations effectively and in a timely manner,” it added.
Beary also congratulated Aoun for “his leadership and the LAF’s achievements in the recent military campaign in the northeastern parts of the country,” offering his “deepest condolences on the losses suffered.”
“The LAF and UNIFIL are strategic partners in implementing the mandated tasks under U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and 2373 of 30 August 2017, which extended the mandate for another year,” the UNIFIL statement said.
It added: “UNIFIL and LAF are working closely to further enhance coordinated efforts that have helped keep an unprecedented 11-years of stability in the area of operations.”
UNIFIL has around 10,500 peacekeepers coming from 41 troop-contributing countries.
The Mission maintains an intensive level of some 13,500 operational activities per month. UNIFIL is also complemented by a seven-vessel strong Maritime Task Force.
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