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<p style="text-align:start; margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:15.4px"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="color:#212121"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="font-weight:400"><span style="white-space:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px">More than six months have passed since the exchanges of fire along the Blue Line began. Since then, the lives of thousands of people have changed drastically. The south has witnessed destruction, deaths, injuries, and</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px"> large-scale dislocation of the population.</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px"> <span style="color:#212121">And people already facing challenges because of the economic crisis continue to suffer.</span> UNIFIL Chief of Staff </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px">Brigadier General Cedric du Gardin has seen the immense transformation in south Lebanon after 17 years of unprecedented calm and stability, as this is the fifth time that he has served with UNIFIL.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p>In this episode, we will sit down with UNIFIL Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti to bring you the latest updates about recent developments in south Lebanon. He will give us insights into the latest incident involving peacekeepers from the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), UNIFIL’s continued patrolling activities amid the increase of tension along the Blue Line, as well as the relationship between UNIFIL peacekeepers and the people in south Lebanon since October 8^th.</p>

<p style="text-align:start; margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:15.4px"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="color:#212121"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="font-weight:400"><span style="white-space:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px">When the 2006 war ended and the Security Council enhanced UNIFIL’s mandate with resolution 1701, there was a clear need for </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px">a bridge between Lebanon and Israel,</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px"> since <span style="color:#333333">they do not talk to each other directly.</span><b> </b><span style="color:#333333">On 11 December of that year, in a Tripartite meeting, a Liaison and Coordination Arrangement was agreed by UNIFIL, the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces. Since then, UNIFIL has acted as a mediator between the two sides,</span> and UNIFIL’s Liaison Branch became part of this mechanism. </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px">Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px">, UNIFIL’s Head of Mission and Force Commander,<span style="color:#333333"> acts as an interlocutor himself and guides the mission’s overall liaison efforts.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:start; margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:15.4px"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="color:#212121"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="font-weight:400"><span style="white-space:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:14pt"><span style="line-height:19.599998px">Since its establishment in 1978, and then the enhancement of the mission after the 2006 war, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has enjoyed a very strong relationship with local communities in south Lebanon. In addition to their operational activities under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, UNIFIL peacekeepers have also been helping the local communities with different kinds of support, including development projects and donations. <span style="color:#212121">With the beginning of the exchanges of fire along the Blue Line on October 8^th, this support became more urgent as people already facing challenges because of the economic crisis continue to suffer due to the current situation.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

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<p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:105%">Since the exchanges of fire began on October 8^th, south Lebanon has gone through enormous transformation and challenges. The 17 years of unprecedented security and stability that the region had enjoyed since 2006 was violently interrupted. Destruction, deaths, injuries, and large-scale population relocation are the current reality. Despite all that, UNIFIL and its peacekeepers remain committed to their mission in pursuit of eventual peace, and to implementing their mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 1701. UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. General Aroldo Lázaro, who has been working alongside his peacekeeping colleagues each day to prevent a devastating escalation, says the peacekeepers have been operating under difficult conditions since the exchanges of fire along the Blue Line began.</span></span></span></span></span></p>

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<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif">Since the 8^th of October, daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line have drastically changed the situation in south Lebanon. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif">Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro, Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping force in the south, has of course been following developments closely, as the mission works to de-escalate tensions and restore stability to the region. We were able to sit down with him recently to find out what has been happening, the challenges peacekeepers face, and the ways the mission has adapted to continue to implement its mandated tasks under Resolution 1701.</span></span></span></p>

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<p>In this episode, UNIFIL Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti sits down with Salam from the South to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in south Lebanon and what the mission is doing to address the current challenges.</p>

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<p>The sounds of the explosions increase as we get closer to the Italian base in Al Mansouri one January morning. The firefights along the Blue Line have grown more intense. When the exchanges of fire are close like this, all UNIFIL personnel, military and civilian, must stay inside UN bases. So, the scheduled patrol by Italian peacekeepers this morning has to wait until the situation gets calmer. After two hours, the patrol gets the permission to start and we accompany them on a patrol in their area of operations, the southernmost area along the Lebanese coast.</p>

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<p style="text-align:start"><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="color:#212121"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="font-weight:400"><span style="white-space:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:1.2">Since the exchanges of fire began along the Blue Line on October 8^th, UNIFIL peacekeepers have been operating within very different conditions than before. But still, they are performing the mission’s operational activities under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to restore stability along the Blue Line and prevent the outbreak of a wider and more devastating conflict. Patrolling is a critical part of these operational activities.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>

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<p style="text-align:start; margin-bottom:11px">On 11 December 2006, in a Tripartite meeting, a Liaison and Coordination Arrangement was agreed by UNIFIL, the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces. Lebanon and Israel don’t talk to each other directly, so UNIFIL acts as a mediator. Since October 8th, this mechanism became central to the mission’s work. The two conflicting parties have been communicating with UNIFIL’s Head of Mission and Force Commander, Lt. General Aroldo Lazaro, and the Liaison Branch, to deliver messages to each other. Some of these messages have been of paramount importance, not only to deescalate tensions but also to prevent misunderstandings which could have led to much wider conflict.</p>

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