What came to an end was the longest continuous mandate for an Italian contingent in UNIFIL in the forty-year history of Italy's participation in the peace mission: 254 were in fact the days of intense work in a 650 sq km operation area in which they operate five battalions working day and night with colleagues from the 15 nations that make up the Joint Task Force - Lebanon Sector West.
The change of hand of the United Nations flag sanctioned the change of the Italian contingent in UNIFIL: the gen. b. Diego Filippo Fulco, commander of the "Granatieri di Sardegna" brigade, gave the command to Gen. b. Andrea Di Stasio, commander of the "Sassari" brigade. To declare the transfer of authority, the gen d. Stefano Del Col, force commander e head of mission of the UNIFIL mission in southern Lebanon.
The ambassador of Italy to Lebanon was present at the ceremony if Nicoletta Bombardiere.
The Leonte XXVII closed with over 60.000 activities, of which 29.000 at night resulting from the desire to increase the presence in the area even in that time span.
In over 8 months of work, around 12.500 patrols have attended and controlled the Blue Line, the dividing line between Israel and Lebanon which covers the area of operations under Italian guidance for 55 km. A commitment that did not drop and was reticulated after February 21, the date of the first official case of COVID in Lebanon.
The peacekeepers have in fact adopted a series of precautionary measures necessary to safeguard themselves and the local population from contagion, while continuing to perform their task. And so the 3.800 soldiers under the leadership of the gen. b. Diego Filippo Fulco continued their operational activities with an average of 250 activities per day.
“The excellent results that are before everyone's eyes have been built day after day with dedication, attention, sacrifice - recalled the gen. b. Diego Filippo Fulco speaking to his men - your work, your preparation, your ability and your self-sacrifice have been an indispensable ingredient for achieving the result, adding another eight months of peace to the recent history of this country. You have operated as expected from a United Nations "Blue Basque".
The work of Sector West, of the Granatieri di Sardegna brigade and its commander was unanimously recognized and the President of Lebanon Michel Aoun granted to gen. The Lebanese Army merit silver medal.
“I can only be proud of the work you have done with attention, dedication and professionalism in conditions of growing difficulty - underlined the gen. Del Col, fourth Italian to command UNIFIL one of the largest UN missions with its more than 10.000 men on the ground - I can only wish Sassari colleagues and their commander General Di Stasio an equally important commitment, confident that their experience in operating in Lebanon will immediately make them excellent peacekeepers ".
The ceremony took place in a minor tone due to the pandemic restrictions inside the "Millevoi" base; to follow its development, from afar, even the more than 400 newly arrived soldiers who, following international dictates, were subjected to a quarantine period.
