Some 200 Spanish soldiers of the almost 700 deployed in Lebanon as part of the UN mission (UNIFIL) are stationed in the three positions that Spain has assigned on the “blue line”, a few meters from the border with Israel, from where they monitor the movements of the Israeli army. An activity that does not slow down even at Christmas.
In total, the eastern sector of UNIFIL, located on the Miguel de Cervantes base in Marjayún, and led by Spain, has 12 positions along approximately 50 kilometers of border between Lebanon and Israel, occupied by Indian, Indonesian or Nepalese soldiers, in addition to the Spanish, on two-month rotations.
In each of the three positions in Spain, called 4-28, 9-64 and 9-66, a number of “blue helmets” which varies between 60 and 70, depending on the circumstances, control and monitor the Israeli army, which displays a presence thanks to drones which prowl the area almost daily.
The army is currently facing a situation of “uncertain calm”, because we never know exactly when it will stop, and “very volatile”, because “it is at the cost of numerous episodes which, at a given moment, can trigger a major incident”.
This is how Spanish General Antonio Bernal Martín, head of the Spanish contingent and who also leads the multinational brigade of the Eastern Sector, described it during a recent visit to the Miguel de Cervantes base by the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, accompanied by journalists from various media, including EFE.
A soldier in one of the joint surveillances with those of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
emad
Since the ceasefire was concluded between Lebanon and Israel more than a year ago, the Israeli army has maintained five positions on Lebanese territory that violate the “blue line”, in addition to two “buffer zones”, areas in which it does not allow the Lebanese population, according to General Bernal.
“Right now, Israel’s continued violation of the ‘blue line’ is a complaint we file daily,” he said.
Lieutenant Bados, in the lead with his unit
It was in the middle of this scenario that Lieutenant Pilar Bados arrived in Lebanon at the end of November as part of the Spanish contingent. She is the head of Task Force Alfa, the cavalry unit that operates in the eastern sector and patrols the “blue line”.
In convoy, with Vamtac ST5 high mobility tactical vehicles, his unit monitors the main and secondary roads to avoid blockages, the lieutenant explains to EFE.
The patrol returns to position 4-28.
emad
It is the soldiers under his command who lead the way and ensure that the roads are in the best possible condition in case they need to be activated. In addition, if an action were to be carried out, they would be responsible for escorting the engineer unit, he specifies.
The unit he leads also carries out surveillance tasks through helicopter flights to gather information and support intelligence matters.
Lebanon is his first deployment abroad and he claims to experience it in a “very intense” way and to learn “a lot”, both from his superiors and from the soldiers under his command.
“At the end of the day, we are all a machine that works together and understands each other, so I am very happy with the work I do,” says Bados, who belongs to the Guadarrama Brigade, which provides the majority of troops for the Spanish contingent.
Sergeant Palomo: show presence and avoid conflict
He has not yet had to deal with any “remarkable” incident, although he admits to having witnessed continued movements by the Israeli army, “but nothing hostile”.
A context that Sergeant Diego Palomo, also from the Guadarrama brigade, describes as “tense calm” and affirms, in statements to EFE, that “everything is going as planned”. Assigned to the light battle group, like the lieutenant, this is his first deployment abroad.
With his companions, he patrols every day to “show presence and avoid conflicts”. In addition, they monitor the roads in order to find unexploded explosive devices, weapons or any unidentified objects.
In just one week, the military in the eastern sector can carry out around 600 routine activities, which also include the protection of the Lebanese population when they need it because they “feel threatened”, as well as health and veterinary support.
Christmas with “the family they chose”
Facing the area of operations, soldiers receive specific training in Spain during the six months preceding deployment during which they are prepared in order to be able to face any situation that may arise.
“That’s why nothing surprises us,” says Lieutenant Bados, who explains that they receive lectures and participate in “awareness” days during which they are informed about the situation in the country, so they know “perfectly” in advance what they may face.
Joint checkpoint with the army.
emad
Both emphasize that during this first month not only have they not lost their enthusiasm, but that they continue “with the same desire, or even more”, to finish the five months that still await them at UNIFIL.
Not even the Christmas holidays, which they spend far from their blood families, but in the company of the family “we have chosen”, their colleagues in the Armed Forces take away some of their enthusiasm.
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