It took place at the "Millevoi" base in Shama, in the presence of the under-secretary-general for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of mission and force commander of UNIFIL lieutenant general Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz and the civil and military authorities premises, the ceremony of turnover in command of the Joint Task Force-Lebanon Sector West (JTF-L SW), operational component of UNIFIL in the Western sector of the area of operations, between Brigadier General Enrico Fontana and Brigadier General Stefano Messina.
Italy leads the JTF-L SW, made up of over 3.500 "blue helmets" from 17 of the 49 nations participating in the mission. The Italian contribution in Southern Lebanon exceeds 1.100 units, of the over 10.000 total of UNIFIL.
During his speech, General Fontana recalled that “Taurinese has faced its mandate with professionalism and compactness in a complex and difficult environment where, since last February, despite the escalation and tensions, the Italian contingent has continued its activities by adopting procedures useful to guarantee the safety of the peacekeepers, keeping the number of operational activities in the area high and constant and intensifying support to the population, the LAF and the local authorities.”
Words of appreciation came from the under-secretary-general for Peace Operations, who thanked the Italian contingent for the extraordinary professionalism demonstrated, which allowed, albeit in a tense and very critical period like the one experienced in recent months, to pursue their goals along the Blue Line, in full compliance with 1701, also focusing attention on supporting the weakest sections of the population.
The Italian contingent, which for national aspects operates directly under the Joint Forces Operational Command (COVI), carried out monitoring activities of the Blue Line through the personnel deployed at the two Italian-led forward bases (UNP 1-31 and UNP 1-32) and the constant patrolling of the area of operation, independently or with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). This allowed violations of 1701 to be constantly recorded, as required by the resolution.
As part of the activities carried out in favor of the LAF, the contingent has developed joint training and training activities useful for increasing coordination methods and implementing particular skills, such as those of overcoming obstacles with the use of ropes (a typical activity of troops alpine) useful in case of interventions in favor of the population in areas affected by tensions and subject to confrontation.
Support for the population remains a fundamental pillar in this delicate period. The needs of the population, in particular of the approximately 90 thousand people who had to abandon their homes along the villages near the Blue Line, can be summarized in the main primary needs (healthcare, medicines, food).
In this sense, the contingent has started a series of support operations carried out specifically in favor of these sections of the population hosted in the villages further north or in the city of Tyre, where the "Taurinense" has developed activities of medical examinations and distribution of medicines and food in one of the schools that host numerous families.
For the "Sassari" brigade, this is the third mission in Lebanon after the six-month mandate of 2016 and 2020-21, where the "dimonios" have gained a professional background of undisputed value, but above all an in-depth knowledge of culture and traditions locals.
