The 12th Brigade ‘Guadarrama’ at the head of the Operation Libre Hidalgo in Lebanon

•  Under the name Lebanon Brigade (BRILIB) XLIV, it takes over from the 16th Brigade 'Canarias' to maintain the commitment to peace and stability in southern Lebanon

The 12th Brigade ‘Guadarrama’, which forms the Lebanon XLIV Brigade (BRILIB) has assumed command of Operation Libre Hidalgo in Lebanon, following the transfer of authority (TOA) ceremony with the previous contingent at the ‘Miguel de Cervantes’ Base in the town of Marjayoun (Lebanon).

The military ceremony was presided over by General Diodato Abagnara, major of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and head of the Mission. This ceremony marks the final and official handover between the two contingents in command of the Eastern Sector.

During the TOA, General Antonio Ramón Bernal Martín, head of BRILIB XLIV, received the United Nations flag from General Ricardo Esteban Cabrejos, head of BRILIB XLIII, as a public sign of his assumption of responsibility for the Eastern Sector Command of UNIFIL, which he will exercise for the next six months.

Representing the national operational chain, Vice Admiral Enrique Núñez de Prado, Chief of Staff of the Operations Command (JEMMOPS), attended the ceremony, which was also attended by the Spanish Ambassador to Beirut, Jesús Ignacio Santos Aguado, as well as various Lebanese civil, religious and military authorities. All of them expressed their affection and gratitude to the Spanish military for the work they are doing in their country, a commitment and performance that is now being taken on by BRILIB XLIV.

In his speech, General Ricardo Esteban expressed his satisfaction and pride at the mission accomplished. ‘Our effort and determination during these six months of deployment are proof of Spain's commitment to the United Nations mission and to the Lebanese people.’

For his part, General Abagnara thanked the outgoing contingent for their hard work and commitment, highlighting their professionalism and the efforts of their soldiers, while urging the new contingent to continue along the same lines. Finally, now in his new position, General Bernal expressed his deep gratitude to BRILIB XLIII, both for the magnificent transfer of knowledge and for the excellent work carried out by all the military personnel in the contingent.

The 12th Brigade 'Guadarrama' in Lebanon

BRILIB XLIV is based on the 12th Guadarrama Brigade, located in El Goloso (Madrid). This is the seventh time it has been deployed to Lebanon to comply with Resolution 1701, approved by the United Nations Security Council on 11 August 2006, which has subsequently been extended, this time as BRILIB XLIV.

The vast majority of BRILIB XLIV military personnel come from BRI XII units. More specifically, they deploy components from the BRI XII Headquarters and the Protected Light Tactical Group (GTLP) of the “Asturias” Infantry Regiment 31, an engineering unit (UING) from the XII Sappers Battalion, a headquarters unit (UCG) and a transmission unit (UTRANS) from the BRI XII Headquarters Battalion.

Also participating are the Base Support Unit (UABA) and Task Force Alpha (TF-A) of the Villaviciosa II/6 Cavalry Group, which belongs to the Alcázar de Toledo 61 Armoured Regiment; a Surveillance Unit from the XII Field Artillery Group; and, finally, the Logistics Unit (ULOG), which is composed mainly of personnel from the XII Logistics Group and the 41st Logistics Support Group.

On the other hand, it also has the support of personnel from other units of the Army, Armed Forces and Guardia Civil.

Finally, alongside the Spanish units, BRILIB XLIV includes a company from Serbia, a section from El Salvador and, lastly, military personnel from Brazil, who are integrated into the Headquarters.

Multinational Brigade

All these troops, both Spanish and international, make up the Multinational Brigade of UNIFIL's Eastern Sector, led by Spain. It is composed of some 3,500 troops from seven different countries: Brazil, El Salvador, Spain, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Serbia.

Spain contributes approximately 650 military personnel to UNIFIL, most of them within BRILIB XLIV, but there are also 21 Spanish military personnel at the United Nations mission headquarters in Naqoura.