This morning, in Piazza d'Italia, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Luciano Portolano, took part in the ceremony to celebrate the return of the brigade Sassari from Operation "Leonte XXXVI", conducted from August 2024 to February 2025 as part of the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon and to commemorate the 110th anniversary of its establishment.
The event was attended by numerous military, civil and religious authorities, including the Undersecretary of State for Defense, Senator Isabella Rauti, the President of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia Alessandra Todde, the Mayor of Sassari Giuseppe Mascia, the Archbishop of Sassari, Monsignor Gian Franco Saba and the Chief of Staff of the Army, General of the Army Corps Carmine Masiello.
Senator Rauti in her speech, referring to the brigade personnel and taking inspiration from their anthem, "Dimonios” (Devils), highlighted how she was particularly struck by one sentence: “strong as the nuraghi on the alert to keep the peace”; so he said, “you truly honor the Sassari legacy because what you have done in Lebanon is contained in this expression. During your mandate you have promoted many humanitarian initiatives to support the municipality of Tyre and help it survive; you have been alongside the civilian victims of the ongoing conflict with donations of materials but also with health and psychological assistance, especially towards women and children.
Valid projects and noble initiatives that add to the mission of training the Lebanese Armed Forces, to make them grow to protect the local population and stability, not only of Lebanon but of the entire area”.
In his greeting address, General Portolano, former commander of the 40th brigade Sassari, addressed a first moving thought to the fallen, to their families and to all those who, in carrying out their duties, have suffered wounds, serious psychophysical traumas and mutilations, indelible signs of the priceless commitment to the service of the Armed Forces and the Country.
Referring then to the brigade, in recalling some operational commitments in which the large unit participated, including Afghanistan, he wanted to highlight the extraordinary work of all the soldiers of the UNIFIL - Leonte XXXVI contingent, who, called to operate in southern Lebanon in a period of great instability and continuous tension, were able to manage with professionalism and courage even the most critical moments, remaining faithful to the tasks envisaged by resolution 1701 of the United Nations Security Council and at the same time continuing to provide valuable humanitarian support to the civilian population.
In Lebanon the national commitment continues with the brigade Pozzuoli of Friuli, who took up the baton of the Sassari and last February he took over the responsibility of Sector West, With the Bilateral Mission for Lebanon (MIBIL) and the Military Technical Committee for Lebanon (MTC4L).
In closing his speech, the Chief of Defense Staff thanked the families of the soldiers for having supported them with courage and determination during this onerous commitment and joined the Sassari people in the typical cry of "Forza Paris".
The ceremony was enriched by moments of great emotion, one above all the performance of the brigade band. Sassari who sang the famous anthem of the "red devils".
