“The situation is worrying” but “the mission remains”. Unifil spokesperson Andrea Tenenti says this when speaking about the deployment in Lebanon of the Italian contingent which has come under the command of the Sassari Brigade since 2 August.
«We continue to be operational», explains Tenenti, «things have not changed except for the greater level of attention. The firefights continue, as has happened for ten months now, but the activities have not changed."
If there were ever conditions such as to think about a withdrawal of the mission, continues the spokesperson, "the security council would be the one to take the possible decision, even if every country is free to return".
The alert, he adds, «is appropriate for the moment we are living in. The high tensions linked to the events of recent weeks have increased regional conflicts. At the moment, however, nothing is changing in the mission, the activities remain the same and we continue to remain operational."
The commander of Sassari, General Stefano Messina, is at the head of a contingent of 3,500 blue helmets, which includes 1,000 Italian soldiers, half of whom are from Sassari.
The 500 Sassarini belong to the 151st Regiment, the 5th Sappers, the Logistics and the 45th Command and Tactical Support Department. They will carry out their six-month mandate at a time of great tension in the Middle East, with the risk of conflict extension and escalation never higher.
This morning Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani urged his compatriots to leave the country as soon as possible.
(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)