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UN PhotoUNIFIL / NEW FORCE COMMANDER
STORY: UNIFIL / NEW FORCE COMMANDER
TRT: 03:30
SOURCE: UNIFIL
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 24 JUNE 2025, NAQOURA, SOUTH LEBANON
1. Wide shot, parade and flag hoisting party forming up
2. Med shot, parade and flag hoisting party forming up
3. Wide shot, arrival of Outgoing UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro and UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara to the cenotaph
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro, Outgoing Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
“With current regional tensions ongoing, our efforts are focused on containing escalation, reinforcing stability, and creating conditions for a durable political solution.”
5. Wide shot, outgoing UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro general salute to the guard of honour accompanied with UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara
6. Wide shot, outgoing UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro saluting the guard of honour accompanied with UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro, Outgoing Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
“Continued international unity and support are indispensable as we work to consolidate gains and ensure peacekeeping remains grounded in political will.”
8. Wide shot, outgoing UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro salutes the figures accompanied with UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara
9. Med shot, outgoing UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro laying the wreath
10. Med shot, Minister of National Defence Michel Menassa laying the wreath
11. Med shot, Maj. Gen. Hassan Audi Lebanese Army representative laying the wreath
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro, Outgoing Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
“I have been privileged to lead a team that has persevered through one of the most challenging periods in UNIFIL’s history. Let me extend my sincere congratulations to Major General Diodato Abagnara as he takes up his new responsibilities. This is a critical juncture for the mission, and I have every confidence that he will steer it forward with honour, wisdom and resolve.”
13. Wide shot, handover of UN flag between Outgoing UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro and UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara
14. Wide shot, handover of UN flag between Outgoing UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro and UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Major General Diodato Abagnara, Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
“UNIFIL was never destined to walk an easy road.”
16. Wide shot, signing of Handover. Outgoing UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro and UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara
17. Wide shot, outgoing UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro shaking hands with UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Major General Diodato Abagnara, Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
“Our mission operates where complexity meets fragility, where resilience, innovation, and steadfast commitment are not options, but necessities. Security cannot be viewed with a limited horizon.”
19. Wide shot, participants
20. Wide shot, participants
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Major General Diodato Abagnara, Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
Recognizing the importance of stability is not enough; we must actively work to build it, day after day.”
22. Wide shot, participants
23. Pan right, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara guard of honour
24. SOUNDBITE (English) Major General Diodato Abagnara, Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
Today, UNIFIL stands at a pivotal moment. We are engaged in a forward-looking adaptation process. This adaptation reaffirms our core mandate: to protect civilians, to monitor the cessation of hostilities, to contribute to the stabilization of southern Lebanon in accordance with Resolution 1701 and to support the Lebanese Armed Forces. Security Council Resolution 1701 remains our foundation, our compass. It embodies the collective will of the international community to promote a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace. The challenges ahead are real. The security environment remains fragile. Risks are present. But we are not alone. We move forward alongside the people that everyday work for peace, with our trusted partners, and supported by the United Nations family and the international community.”
25. Wide shot, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara general salute to the guard of honour
26. Pan left, figures clapping
Major General Diodato Abagnara of Italy today (24 Jun) assumed command of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), taking over from Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro of Spain, during a special ceremony held at the Mission’s headquarters in Naqoura, south Lebanon.
In his address, Maj. Gen. Abagnara stressed the importance of achieving a lasting stability along the Blue Line while recognizing “real challenges” ahead.
“But we are not alone,” he said. “We move forward alongside the people that work every day for peace, with our trusted partners, and supported by the United Nations family and the international community.”
Maj. Gen. Abagnara previously served as UNIFIL’s Sector West Commander from 2018 to 2019. Most recently, he held the position of Commander and Chair of the Military Technical Committee for Lebanon (MTC4L), where he coordinated multinational support to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). A full biography is available here.
Looking ahead, he noted that UNIFIL stands at a “pivotal moment.”
“We are engaged in a forward-looking adaptation process, a transformation that strengthens our ability to fulfil our tasks more effectively, efficiently, and credibly,” he said. “Let this new chapter begin with clear vision, renewed energy, and an unwavering sense of purpose.”
Lt. Gen. Lázaro’s tenure, which began on 28 February 2022, was marked by one of the most challenging periods in UNIFIL’s 47-year history.
“With current regional tensions ongoing, our efforts are focused on containing escalation, reinforcing stability, and creating conditions for a durable political solution (along the Blue Line),” said the outgoing UNIFIL head. “Continued international unity and support are indispensable as we work to consolidate gains and ensure peacekeeping remains grounded in political will.”
Today’s ceremony was attended by senior representatives of the Government of Lebanon, including Minister of National Defence Michel Menassa, Maj. Gen. Hassan Audi of the Lebanese Army, Member of Parliament Dr. Ashraf Baidun as well as religious leaders, governors, qaemaqams and mayors.
High-level delegations from Italy and Spain were also in attendance, led respectively by Italy’s Chief of Defence Staff and former UNIFIL Head, General Luciano Portolano, and the Joint Operations Commander of the Spanish Army, Lieutenant General Antonio Agüero Martínez.
