politics
Serbian Peacekeepers Between Two Fires
All members of the Serbian Army engaged in the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Lebanon (UNIFIL), as well as in other Middle East peacekeeping missions, are well and continue to perform their assigned tasks in accordance with the security situation, according to the Ministry of Defense's answers to 'Politika's' questions.
TL;DR
- Serbian soldiers in UNIFIL, Lebanon, are safe and performing their duties, with high morale and regular contact with families.
- Security measures have been heightened in the mission area, including the deployment of advanced ballistic protection and armored vehicles.
- Local populations near Serbian forces' deployment areas have largely evacuated due to ongoing conflict.
- Evacuation plans for Serbian soldiers are integrated into broader mission withdrawal plans, coordinated with Spanish and Italian contingents.
- A total of 169 Serbian soldiers are engaged in UNIFIL, split between sectors 'West' (Italian contingent) and 'East' (Spanish contingent).
- The mandate for UNIFIL has been renewed until December 31, 2026, after which UN peacekeeping forces are expected to withdraw.
- A Serbian contingent successfully completed its mission in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, and handed over duties to a new contingent.
- The Sinai mission, part of an agreement between Egypt and Israel, involves engineering and infrastructure work by Serbian forces.