French Minister of Armed Forces to UNIFIL Soldiers: Your Mission Can Become Very Dangerous

French Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu visited the Deir Kifa base in southern Lebanon, where he held discussions with the Chief of Staff and French soldiers deployed within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Lecornu announced to 700 soldiers, before joining them for a New Year's dinner, that "this mission can become very dangerous." He added under a tent set up at the base, about ten kilometers from the border between Israel and Lebanon, "Our path will be strewn with thorns in the days and weeks to come." Lecornu and Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun discussed UNIFIL's mission and "how to continue carrying out the mission in light of deteriorating conditions, and how to protect the Lebanese army and UNIFIL personnel in their duties." He told the forces regarding the situation in the Middle East, "All of this is still plunging us into an abyss."