UNIFIL Spokesman Says Lebanese Army to Take Over Eventually

UNIFIL Official Spokesman Andrea Tenenti stressed on Tuesday that the the Lebanese army will be handed over on the long term the complete supervision of southern Lebanon according to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.

Tenenti described cooperation and coordination between the U.N. peacekeeping force and the army as “excellent.”

He stressed that the conditions on the ground have significantly improved over the past seven years.

UNIFIL currently has about 12,000 military and naval personnel from 35 countries deployed in southern Lebanon and with the Maritime Task Force off the coast.

The civilian component of UNIFIL numbers more than 300 international and about 700 national staff members.