The 660 Spanish soldiers deployed in Lebanon - under the umbrella of the United Nations Interim Force mission - continue to patrol the southern border of the country, despite the "tense, volatile and unpredictable" situation in the area due to the clashes between Israel and Hizbul lah. Defensa does not currently envisage a withdrawal of the Spanish detachment, which arrived in Lebanon for the first time in 2006. Moreover, as Minister Margarita Robles explained yesterday, if the conflict in the Middle East spreads, it is not ruled out send more Spanish military to the Blue.
The tension in this Blue Line, the separation strip marked by the United Nations to maintain control of the cessation of hostilities between the Israeli Defense Forces and the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, was reactivated on October 7 after of Hamas's large-scale attack on Israel. In these three weeks, the crossfire on the southern border has caused the deaths of combatants and civilians, countless material damages due to the launch of rockets and the displacement of around 28,000 people towards the north. With this escalation of background tension, the head of the Unifil mission, Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro, considers that the mediation work of the blue helmets is more essential than ever.
The priority, as the leader of the mission informed the head of Defense by video conference yesterday, is the safety of the personnel. Since the beginning of last month, two rockets have hit the mission's headquarters. On both occasions there was only material damage, since the military had previously taken refuge in bunkers equipped for when the alarms sound. A third impact, this time caused by a mortar projectile whose provenance is being investigated, affected a Nepali soldier and inflicted a minor wound on his arm. Since the beginning of the mission in 2006, fifteen Spaniards have died in Lebanon.
Patrols have stopped being done on foot. Surveillance of the separation line between Lebanon and Israel – aimed at ensuring compliance with United Nations resolution 1701 – is being carried out in vehicles, when crossfire allows. For now, as the lieutenant general commented yesterday, the two contenders are respecting the rules of confrontation based - basically - on which the retaliation to an attack must be proportional. But a "misunderstanding" can precipitate an escalation of the conflict.
All eyes are on tomorrow, Friday, when one of Hizbullah's religious leaders is scheduled to deliver a speech to his followers that may shape the future of the situation. Spanish military intelligence believes that the most likely scenario is that the equation of confrontations sustained by the two sides will remain, which would allow the mediation mission to continue. Senior leaders say a major offensive by the Israel Defense Forces to destroy Hizbullah's structure is "unlikely".
