The Brigade Lebanon XLIII’s commander reinforces coordination between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces in the south of the country

• In addition, General Ricardo Esteban Cabrejos visited the international contingents under his command in UNIFIL's Brigade Sector East

General Ricardo Esteban Cabrejos, Head of Sector East of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and Commander of Brigade Lebanon XLIII, has conducted official visits to the Head of Sector South Litani (SLS) of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), General Nicolas Tabet, and to the Head of the 7th LAF Brigade, General Tony Fares. This is the first meeting with the highest Lebanese military authorities in the sector since General Esteban Cabrejos took command of the United Nations force on 23 May at the Miguel de Cervantes military base (Marjayoun).

With a view to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the head of UNIFIL Sector East has initiated this round of meetings to strengthen ties of fraternisation and mutual support with senior military officials in southern Lebanon. In these meetings, the Lebanese generals expressed their gratitude for the work carried out by the Spanish troops in the area, while both sides addressed different aspects of the relationship between UNIFIL and the LAF, always with the common goal of advancing towards peace and stability in southern Lebanon.

The visits finished with a message of unity and cooperation, and both BRILIB and LAF stressed that only by working together will it be possible to transform the cessation of hostilities - signed last November between Israel and Hezbollah - into a stable peace for the region, for which it is essential to achieve the full implementation of Resolution 1701 of 2006.

Visit to the international contingents of the Eastern Sector Brigade

On the other hand, General Esteban has made his first visits to the international contingents that make up UNIFIL's Sector East Brigade. He went to positions UN 9-66 and UN 9-15, under the responsibility of Serbian and Indonesian contingents respectively. In these meetings, the commanding general monitored the operational conditions of both positions, while also checking the readiness and morale of the deployed personnel and their compliance with the security protocols established by the United Nations.

These visits are part of the leadership and oversight activities that General Esteban has assumed upon taking command. In this way, and with his presence in the sector's positions, he aims to reinforce unity and coordination between the different contingents, as well as to highlight the fundamental role of multinational forces in peacekeeping in a sensitive and complex area.

 The ‘Canarias’ Brigade XVI (BRICAN XVI) deployed in Lebanon

Since a few weeks ago, the Brigade ‘Canarias’ XVI (BRICAN XVI) has been the base unit of the Brigade Lebanon XLIII, responsible for the eastern sector of UNIFIL's area of responsibility in southern Lebanon.

The contingent is mostly made up of personnel from the units of the Brigade ‘Canarias’ XVI (BRICAN XVI), specifically, components of the Headquarters of BRICAN XVI, the General Staff of the Protected Light Tactical Group (GTLP) and a Tactical Sub-Group (S/GT) of the Infantry Regiment ‘Soria’ 9, a Tactical Sub-Group (S/GT) from the 50th Infantry Regiment ‘Canarias’, an engineer unit (UING) from the XVI Sappers Battalion, a transmission unit (UTRANS) from the HQ Battalion of BRICAN XVI, the Base Support Unit (UABA) and a Surveillance Unit both from the Field Artillery Regiment no. 93, as well as the Logistics Unit (ULOG) made up of personnel mostly from the XVI Logistics Group and the 81st Logistics Support Group.

On the other hand, the General Command of Melilla contributes a unit from the Cavalry Regiment ‘Alcántara’ No. 10 to BRILIB XLIII, which also has the support of personnel from other units of the Army, the Armed Forces and the Civil Guard.

Likewise, and as an international contribution, BRILIB XLIII also includes a company from Serbia, a section from El Salvador and, finally, military personnel from Brazil, who are integrated into the General Headquarters.