UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Michael Beary met with H.E. President Michel Aoun, in Beirut today. 

Major General Beary briefed President Aoun on the situation in the UNIFIL area of operation in south Lebanon and the ongoing Israeli construction works along the Blue Line.  He said the 1,060 square kilometre area of operation, between the Litani River and the Blue Line, remains overall calm.

UNIFIL Head of Mission Beary thanked the President for the strong support he has been receiving from the Government and reassured him of UNIFIL’s strong commitment to help ensure that the security and stability that prevails in south Lebanon is maintained during this sensitive time that the region is facing.

On the issue of the Israeli construction works, which started early February, Major General Beary commended the parties’ ongoing engagement through UNIFIL-chaired tripartite meetings and liaison mechanism in order to avoid miscalculations and find a mutually suitable solution.  He stressed the need to keep the momentum going.

In the meeting, Major General Beary also conveyed his appreciation for the enduring strategic partnership between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). He added that discussions on the LAF’s Model Regiment that will work alongside UNIFIL peacekeepers in south Lebanon are “well advanced.”