Major General Diodato Abagnara of Italy today assumed command of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), taking over from Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro of Spain, during a special ceremony held at the Mission’s headquarters in Naqoura, south Lebanon.

In honour of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, UNIFIL hosted a ceremony at its Naqoura headquarters attended by members of the Lebanese Armed Forces, security services, local political and religious authorities, ambassadors, and UN officials.

In a show of solidarity with UNIFIL’s work in south Lebanon, Ambassadors and representatives of dozens of countries contributing troops to UNIFIL as well as Member States of UN Security Council visited the UN peacekeeping mission’s headquarters and the Blue Line today.