UNIFIL peacekeepers fire during the live firing exercise “Steel Storm”, jointly with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), in an area one kilometre south of the UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura, southern Lebanon, on 27 September 2017.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) today conducted a joint live fire exercise combining armoured assets, machine gun and small arms live fire in an area about one kilometer south of UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura. The Lebanese Armed Forces supported by UNIFIL Force Commander Reserve Force (FCR), UNIFIL Sector West and Sector East took part in the exercise named “Steel Storm”. Live fire exercises are conducted regularly between the LAF and UNIFIL peacekeepers. They are directed at honing the skills and expertise of the military units, maintaining their efficiency and mutual knowledge as well as strengthening the existing coordination mechanism between LAF and UNIFIL. The joint exercise is a good opportunity for both UNIFIL and LAF to further strengthen the cooperation and mutual knowledge and demonstrate the capability to conduct joint missions. Limiting any potential disturbance to the local population was a priority during the planning for this exercise, as was the case with previous exercises. The safety at sea was provided by Lebanese Navy ships supported by the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force.