BEIRUT, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Major General Stefano Del Col of Italy on Tuesday took over command of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the UNIFIL said in a statement.
At a ceremony at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura in southern Lebanon, Del Col succeeded Major General Michael Beary of Ireland as the new head of the mission and force commander.
"I will continue to lead UNIFIL along the path towards the implementation of our mandate under Security Council Resolution 1701 and associated UN resolutions," Del Col was quoted as saying.
The hand-over ceremony was attended by Lebanese State Minister for Combating Corruption Nicolas Tueini, representing both the Lebanese president and the prime minister, Parliament member Ali Bazzi, representing the Parliament Speaker, Italian Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta, Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Joseph Aoun, and other senior military and security officials.
Del Col spoke of his previous two rounds of duty with UNIFIL in 2008 and 2014. "For me this is like coming back home. I hope that we will serve this mission in peace," he told the audience.
The general said he expected to work closely with Lebanese security agencies, armed forces, and civilian agencies to "secure the future of Lebanon and the Lebanese people."
Lebanon has frequently announced its commitment to UN resolution 1701, which ended Israel's 34-day war on Lebanon in the summer of 2006.
The resolution called for an end to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah forces, the deployment of the Lebanese Army along the Israeli border, and the establishment of a weapons-free zone south of the Litani River.
