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STORY: LEBANON / UNIFIL ESTABLISHMENT DAY
TRT: 04:16
SOURCE: UNIFIL
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 19 MARCH 2025, NAQOURA, SOUTH LEBANON
1. Various shots, arrival of the Guards of Honor
2. Various shots, UNIFIL Guards of Honor in formation
3. Wide shot, arrival of UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro
4. Med shot, Lázaro salutes the Guards of Honor
5. Pan right, Lázaro salutes the Guards of Honor
6. Med shot, Lázaro and Lebanese Armed Forces Generals.
7. Med shot, Lebanese Officers and UNIFIL
8. Various shots, Lázaro laying the wreath
9. Close up, UNIFIL officers.
10. Various shots, Lebanese Armed Forces laying the wreath
11. Wide shot, end of ceremony with Lázaro saluting Guards of Honor
12. Pan left, Guards of Honor leaving the Cenotaph
13. Wide shot, Lázaro at the podium
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
“On the 19th of March 1978, the United Nations Security Council passed resolutions 425 and 426, establishing UNIFIL to help restore peace and stability in southern Lebanon. What was originally meant to be a temporary deployment has proven to be a long-term commitment, showing how vital international support remains for peace in this region. Peacekeepers from 48 different countries serve under UNIFIL’s flag, carrying out their duties on land, at sea, and in the air. We have forged strong ties with local communities and worked closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces, helping them enhance security and stability.”
15. Wide shot, Lázaro at the podium
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
“Before hostilities, the region had been stable for 18 years, but the escalation of September last year has left villages in ruins and people displaced. Recovery will be long and difficult. Our hearts are with those, here among you, who have lost loved ones and homes. With the understanding of the cessation of hostilities, we hope displaced families can soon return safely. We are entering a new chapter, working alongside the Lebanese armed forces to clear roads, make repairs, and remove explosives. Additionally, UNIFIL keeps committed on supporting to local communities, within our means and capabilities, through different activities with significant impact in the area.”
17. Wide shot, Lázaro at the podium
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
“Supporting the new government, we must ensure that the Lebanese armed forces, with the strong support of UNIFIL, remain the only security provider in the south, restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty. Successfully implementing resolution 1701can only be achieved through our joint efforts, with UNIFIL and LAF working hand-in-hand to prevent escalations, maintain stability, and reinforce state authority in Southern Lebanon.”
19. Wide shot, Lázaro at the podium
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
“UNIFIL'S ability to support LAF effectively will depend on the backing of the Lebanese government and local authorities, whose cooperation is essential to ensure the mission can operate safely and efficiently in carrying out its mandate.”
21. Wide shot, Lázaro at the podium
22. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
“Peace will return to Lebanon, and with determination and a shared commitment, we will keep moving toward that goal. Together, we can make it happen.”
23. Wide shot, Lázaro at the podium
As UNIFIL today completed 47 years of its establishment, its head and Force Commander, Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro, called for looking forward with hope following the recent devastating conflict.
Addressing a gathering of local Lebanese leaders, senior Lebanese Army officers and fellow UN personnel and peacekeepers to mark the day, Lázaro said, “what was originally meant to be a temporary deployment has proven to be a long-term commitment, showing how vital international support remains for peace in this region,” and noted that “peacekeepers from 48 different countries serve under UNIFIL’s flag, carrying out their duties on land, at sea, and in the air.”
The peacekeeping mission, Lázaro said, has “forged strong ties with local communities and worked closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces, helping them enhance security and stability.”
The UNIFIL head noted that before the recent hostilities, “the region had been stable for 18 years, but the escalation of September last year has left villages in ruins and people displaced,” and added that “recovery will be long and difficult.”
Following the cessation of hostilities, he continued, “we are entering a new chapter, working alongside the Lebanese armed forces to clear roads, make repairs, and remove explosives.”
Additionally, Lázaro said, “UNIFIL keeps committed on supporting to local communities, within our means and capabilities, through different activities with significant impact in the area.”
He said, “supporting the new government, we must ensure that the Lebanese armed forces, with the strong support of UNIFIL, remain the only security provider in the south, restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty.”
Successfully implementing resolution 170, he stressed, “can only be achieved through our joint efforts, with UNIFIL and LAF working hand-in-hand to prevent escalations, maintain stability, and reinforce state authority in Southern Lebanon.”
The UNIFIL head said the mission’s ability to support LAF effectively “will depend on the backing of the Lebanese government and local authorities, whose cooperation is essential to ensure the mission can operate safely and efficiently in carrying out its mandate.”
To conclude, he said, “peace will return to Lebanon, and with determination and a shared commitment, we will keep moving toward that goal. Together, we can make it happen.”
The UNIFIL head also paid tribute to the 339 peacekeepers who have given their lives for this cause of peace in south Lebanon since 1978.
On 19 March 1978, the UN Security Council established UNIFIL to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, restore international peace and security and assist the Lebanese Government in restoring its effective authority in the area.
Following the 2006 war, the Council significantly enhanced UNIFIL’s mandate and capacity and assigned it additional tasks working closely with the LAF in south Lebanon.
This ceremony was held for the first time in two years, as it didn’t take place last year due to ongoing exchanges of fire across the Blue Line.
