Robles contacts the UNIFIL contingent and Albares states that the situation in Lebanon is “a disgrace to humanity”

Eduardo González Defense Minister Margarita Robles contacted Spanish military personnel serving with the UN mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Monday, amidst the ongoing Israeli air and ground offensive against Hezbollah, which has created a situation that, according to the Foreign Minister, represents “a disgrace to humanity.” Robles held a videoconference meeting on Monday, March 16, with the Spanish contingent of the ‘Guadarrama’ XII Brigade deployed in Lebanon with UNIFIL. The meeting took place from the El Goloso Military Base in Madrid, from where the 600 troops departed last November. “They are carrying out exceptional peacekeeping work,” the minister stated during the videoconference. “The soldiers are in a difficult situation, which keeps them confined to bunkers for many hours, but they are always maintaining high morale and adhering to all safety measures,” she added. “We will be with the United Nations. Lebanon is a country we love and that loves us, which is why we are committed to this mission and demand a cessation of the attacks,” she concluded. The Spanish contingent is dedicated to the permanent surveillance of the line separating Lebanon and Israel. According to the specialized digital newspaper Infodefensa, Robles stated during the interview that she has directly asked the United Nations, specifically the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Missions and the Force Commander of the mission, to demand that Israel “respect human life” and put an end to “this situation of invasion in Lebanon.” “We are very firm on this,” she asserted. For his part, Brigadier General Antonio R. Bernal, who is in charge of the contingent, explained to Robles that the situation is “complex” but the Spanish soldiers are “in good spirits” and “eager to return to normal.” According to the general—quoted by the same newspaper—the exchange of attacks between Israel and Hezbollah is constant. “There are between 60 and 70 artillery and air strikes daily,” he stated. In this context, on the few occasions when they are able to leave the base to carry out missions, Spanish troops encounter “many problems on the roads,” which forces the deployment of engineers. The 670 Spanish military personnel deployed at the Miguel de Cervantes base, in the eastern sector led by Spain, have suspended their patrols and remain most of the time in the headquarters bunkers to ensure their safety. The Israeli Army's 91st Division, supported by airstrikes, has intensified its “limited and selective” ground operations in southern Lebanon in recent hours to dismantle the infrastructure of the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and establish a security zone for northern Israel. So far, more than 830 deaths and nearly one million displaced Lebanese have been reported. “Right now in Lebanon we have a situation that is a disgrace to humanity,” with “almost a million displaced people and the risk of a ground invasion by Israel in a sovereign country, which would be a huge mistake,” declared José Manuel Albares this Thursday in Brussels, upon his arrival at the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC). “We have attacks on a United Nations force, a peacekeeping force in which there is a significant Spanish contingent, UNIFIL, and a systematic violation of international humanitarian law,” he denounced.

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