In the last quarter of this month, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will visit Lebanon to inspect and commemorate his country’s soldiers working within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). According to "Al-Markaziah," he will then travel to Beirut, where he will meet with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh, before proceeding to the Grand Serail to meet with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. It is also expected that he will meet with Army Commander General Joseph Aoun to discuss the security developments in the country and to assess the situation of UNIFIL forces in the south.
At the same time, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will also arrive in Beirut to visit his country’s soldiers in UNIFIL.
While there has been no official confirmation of a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, who is currently in Jordan, to Lebanon on the 24th for the purpose of honoring French soldiers, informed diplomatic sources reported that he will spend the night of the holiday on the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
The sources expected that the period leading up to the end of the year will witness a series of visits by officials from several countries contributing troops to UNIFIL in southern Lebanon for the purpose of commemorating and assessing the field situation following the attack on the Irish battalion in the town of Al-Aqbieh, which resulted in the death of soldier Shane Rooney and injuries to others. This is particularly significant given that investigations, ongoing for six days, have yet to yield any results, amidst fears that they will share the same fate as previous incidents involving UNIFIL forces in the south.
