The 'Aragon' I Brigade takes command of UNIFIL Sector East

•  In an act presided over by the Force Commander of UNIFIL, the XI 'Extremadura' Brigade was relieved of its duties.

The 'Miguel de Cervantes' Base in the town of Marjayoun hosted the transfer of authority ceremony between the BRILIB XL and BRILIB XLI contingents in the command of UNIFIL Sector East.

The ceremony was presided over by the UNIFIL Force Commander, Spanish Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz, and was attended by the Spanish Ambassador to Lebanon, Jesús Ignacio Santos Aguado, the Assistant General for Operations of the Operations Command, Brigadier General Carlos Prada Larrea, and other Lebanese civilian, religious and military authorities.

The handover of the United Nations flag between Brigadier General Pablo Gómez Lera and Brigadier General Guillermo Pablo García del Barrio Díez symbolises the transfer of responsibility in the fulfilment of the mission that the BRILIB XLI contingent assumes over the next six months.

In his speech, General García del Barrio thanked the outgoing contingent for the extraordinary work carried out, stressed the importance of the mission carried out by UNIFIL in Lebanon, as well as the importance of the Multinational Brigade working as a team, especially in the current security circumstances, and highlighted Spain's commitment to international peace and security. Finally, the new head of Sector East stressed that Sector East is fully prepared and committed to the accomplishment of the mission, showing its readiness to work in a coordinated manner with the Lebanese Armed Forces to ensure security in the sector.

This is the seventh time that the Aragon Brigade has deployed on Lebanese soil, in compliance with United Nations Resolution 1701 of 11 August 2006, approved by the United Nations Security Council

The Multinational Brigade East, which is led by Spain, is made up of some 3,500 troops of 9 nationalities (Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador, Spain, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal and Serbia). Spain contributes with 650 military personnel that make up the BRILIB XLI contingent.