UNIFIL peacekeepers and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) personnel conclude five days of joint live fire exercises in an open coastal field south of UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura. The “Steel Storm” joint exercises, which commenced on 20 June, sought to enhance cooperation and interoperability between the LAF and UNIFIL troops.

The exercise was led by UNIFIL Force Commander's Reserve (FCR) (Finland and France). LAF troops conducted the exercises side by side with UNIFIL peacekeepers from Sector West (Ghana, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Poland, Ireland, and Italy) and Sector East (India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Spain). The participating LAF forces were comprised of LAF’s 5th Brigade elements, 7th brigade elements and the 5th intervention regiment.

UNIFIL Force Commander and Head of Mission Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro attended the drills and commended the troops on their dedication and professionalism, stressing that these joint exercises help build capacity and improve mutual respect, trust, partnership and efficiency between LAF and UNIFIL.

The “Steel Storm” joint exercises are conducted between UNIFIL and LAF every six months and involve the use of armored assets, machine guns and small arms live fire.

Throughout the five-day exercise Lebanese Navy fast patrol boats supported by the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force ensured safety at sea.