ANKARA 

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Major General Aroldo Lazaro Saenz of Spain as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Saenz will succeed “Major General Stefano Del Col of Italy, who will shortly complete his assignment”, his spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Guterres hailed Saenz as a commander who “has had a long and distinguished career in the Spanish Army, currently serving as Adviser to the Ministry of Defense.”

UNIFIL, a multinational force affiliated with the UN, was established in 1978 when Israel withdrew from Lebanon. The peacekeeping force is intended to provide security peacekeeping in the area adjacent to the border with the occupied Palestinian territories and help the Lebanese government in rebuilding its authority.

UNIFIL presence was reinforced after the 2006 summer war between Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Israel.

* Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar