During the visits, the force commander and head of mission, divisional general Luciano Portolano, met with the commanders of the units operating in the sectors to which he expressed his deepest appreciation for the commitment and professionalism lavished in the performance of the numerous operational activities conducted in close collaboration and in coordination with the Lebanese armed forces, in full compliance with the mandate contained in the UN 1701 Resolution.
In particular, the general, highlighting the instability of the Middle Eastern region exacerbated by the Syrian crisis and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, underlined the importance of the presence of Unifil in southern Lebanon as a guarantee of peace and stability resulting from a capillary and day-to-day monitoring of the cessation of hostilities. General Portolano then had an important moment of confrontation with the commanders of the 5th and 9th brigades of the Lebanese armed forces to whom he reiterated the support and assistance of the blue helmets in countering any type of hostile activity that might occur in the area of Unifil operation.
Source: Unifil MPIO, Naqoura - Maj. Fabrizio Farese
