News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

The thermometers in south Lebanon are already climbing above 30°C, and people take shelter in whatever shade they can find, so it is fitting the Indian contingent from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have chosen to celebrate World Environment Day by launching an afforestation…

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major-General Luciano Portolano today paid farewell visits to a number of senior Lebanese officials including the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Tammam Salam, in the capital Beirut. Major-General Portolano also called on…

Seven classes that were once gloomy and dark are now full of bright pinks, greens, and oranges. At Al Majadil Public school, a team of Chinese peacekeepers worked for 12 days on rehabilitating the kindergarten floor. As part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)’s ongoing support…

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major-General Luciano Portolano continued his meetings with high-ranking Lebanese officials in Beirut today as part of his farewell call with the authorities. Today, Major-General Portolano called on, separately, the Lebanese Minister of Interior, Nohad El…

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) today underwent a transfer of command from Major-General Luciano Portolano (Italy) to Major-General Michael Beary (Ireland). The hand-over ceremony at UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura was attended among others by the Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister…

The outgoing head of UNIFIL, Major-General Luciano Portolano, has stressed the importance of continuing close engagement and relations with the local population and the authorities for successful implementation of the UN Mission’s mandate. “Operationally I define the relationship with the local…

The French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Jean-Marc Ayrault, visited the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Naqoura, south Lebanon, today. UNIFIL’s Deputy Head of Mission Imran Riza received Mr. Ayrault at the UNIFIL base. The Minister…

On a recent visit to see the work of UNIFIL’s Maritime Task Force (MTF) off the coast of Beirut Port, the UN Mission’s head and Force Commander, Major-General Luciano Portolano, commended the UN’s only naval peacekeepers for their specialized role in Lebanon. “You are a great support to me as Head…

A wreath-laying ceremony was held last week in Khiam, in south-eastern Lebanon, in memory of the six Spanish UNIFIL peacekeepers killed in a bomb attack nine years ago. UNIFIL’s Sector East Commander, Brigadier-General Pérez de Aguado; the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Ninth Brigade…

The Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major-General Luciano Portolano, today chaired a regular tripartite meeting with senior officials from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the UN position at Ras Al…

In July 2016 UNIFIL’s Indian Battalion ran a hugely successful vaccination campaign against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The four week campaign was carried out with the close cooperation of Lebanon’s Ministry of Agriculture. FMD is a highly infectious viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed…

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major-General Michael Beary met today with the Director General of General Security Major-General Abbas Ibrahim in Beirut. This was Major-General Beary’s first meeting with the Director General after he assumed command of UNIFIL on 19 July. Major-General…