The commanding general of the Eastern Sector pays visits to the Spanish and International Positions in his area of responsibility

•  At an appropriate time to "recover operational and logistical capacity", General Ruiz monitored the status of the various detachments and took an interest in the morale of the personnel under his command

The head of BRILIB XLII and head of Sector East (SECEAST) of UNIFIL's deployment in southern Lebanon, General Fernando Ruiz Gómez, is conducting a round of visits to the positions of the different international contingents deployed in the sector to verify the state, life and morale of the soldiers as well as their living conditions. ‘With the cessation of hostilities, which came into effect last 27 November, a perfect moment has opened up to recover the operational and logistical capacity of all the posts’, remarked General Ruiz.

These visits are being carried out taking into account the security situation in the area. In parallel, communication routes are being inspected and cleared of obstacles. The visits started in mid-December with an inspection of the Indian contingent's positions in the most mountainous area of the sector. There, the General was able to verify the reopening of the routes to the various UNIFIL positions and to the neighbouring towns.

A few days later, the General visited the Spanish battalion's positions, two occupied by Spaniards and the third by Serb personnel. These visits were possible once the withdrawal of the Israeli army (IDF) from the area was confirmed.

The General then visited the area of responsibility of the Nepalese military, which had been badly affected by the recent conflict. UN sites and positions in the area have also suffered damage, which is gradually being repaired by UNIFIL units and deployed contingents working together.

A visit to Indonesia's positions in the Eastern Sector is planned as soon as conditions permit.

General Ruiz has been able to personally asses the circumstances of all the personnel under his command. He was particularly interested in the living conditions in the positions and the welfare of the UNIFIL soldiers. Commenting on the operational tasks of the Brigade as a whole, the General stated that "we must make every effort to restore and even enhance the force protection measures that allow our peacekeepers to carry out their tasks while minimizing risk. Security is essential in order to perform the tasks we are undertaking to assist and support the Lebanese government in restoring peace and security to the area.”

Spain in UNIFIL

The Spanish Armed Forces were first deployed in Lebanon in September 2006. The bulk of the contingent in Operation Free Hidalgo is at the ‘Miguel de Cervantes’ base near the town of Marjayoun, where the Spanish-led Sector East HQ is located. There are also Spanish troops at the mission's headquarters in Naqoura.

More than 650 Spanish military personnel are currently deployed in UNIFIL to ensure compliance with UN Resolution 1701 in a highly unstable security situation, despite the peace agreement signed between Israel and Lebanon last November.