The southern border of Lebanon is experiencing renewed tensions between Israel and Iran, marked by missile launches, coinciding with the arrival of the new UNIFIL commander, Italian General Diodato Abagnara. This escalation occurs despite what appeared to be a lull in hostilities and assurances from U.S. President Donald Trump.

An alarm siren disrupted the dawn at the Italian contingent’s base in Shama, as Israel advised its citizens to seek shelter from potential Iranian missile strikes. “In these days we have lived moments of tension – admits the spokesman Unifil, Andrea Lients -.here in southern Lebanon we have always lived a fragile stability for several months.” This alert is one of many that have become commonplace for the military personnel involved in the United Nations mission. Rather of bunkers, personnel were advised to wear protective gear and find refuge in designated ‘Safe’ structures.

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According to reports, the UNIFIL mission has maintained continuous monitoring of the area and support for the local population. “Shama is the seat of the West sector of the Unifil, the one where over a thousand Italian soldiers operate together with the contingents of 14 other nations.” These forces patrol a large area marked by devastation, including the ruins of villages that were destroyed before the October 8 attacks. Today they are ruins and reinforced concrete skeletons collapsed on the ground.

In Shama the hours of the aileal truce, always on the wire

At the Italian base, the alert level remains medium, with “notable security measures” implemented under the direction of General Nicola Mandolesi, commander of the West sector, in coordination with General Giovanni Maria Iannucci in Rome. “We feel daily – explains the commander – making a detailed analysis of the threat in order to adopt the best mitigations to the risks”.The UNIFIL mission continues its work in collaboration with the Lebanese armed forces, which currently consist of approximately 7,000 personnel. “From March to june we duplicated the operations – adds Mandolesi -, we also manage to go to areas where the entry was very arduous for the presence of Hezbollah. We proceed to the inspections of the tunnels, in search of unexploded ammunition or devices but also to the removal of road blocks to restore mobility”.

General mandolesi noted that “We record numerous daily violations by the Israeli military, who still have five bases and two buffer zones on the Lebanese territory”. UNIFIL’s work involves close engagement with the civilian population, who are struggling with the devastation of war, hoping that the ceasefire established last November will hold. The hope is to see their villages rebuilt and repopulated, with children playing in the squares and the elderly gathering in public spaces, free from the threat of terrorism.

In Shama the hours of the aileal truce, always on the wire

“In these days we have lived moments of tension – admits the spokesman Unifil, andrea Lients -. Here in southern Lebanon we have always lived a fragile stability for several months.”

Understanding the UNIFIL Mission