‘Critical situation’: On patrol with French forces in Lebanon

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00:00Lieutenant Imran briefs his men for a patrol in southeastern Lebanon, an area that sees

00:06Israeli bombardment on an almost daily basis since Hezbollah began firing at Israel almost

00:11a year ago on October 8.

00:14Unlike in other French foreign missions, these soldiers have no adversaries.

00:19These peacekeepers are enforcing the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted at the end

00:24of the 2006 Israeli-Lebanese conflict, which calls for a complete cessation of hostilities.

00:30If we witness something that doesn't comply with this resolution, our role is to pass

00:37on the information to our chain of command, who in turn will pass it on to anyone who

00:42needs to know.

00:45It's an observation mission carried out hand in hand with the Lebanese army and the local

00:49fire department, who were in a position to intervene.

00:55After one and a half hours on patrol, the lieutenant receives an alert.

00:59The security level has just been raised to level two.

01:03These men must get to the nearest base.

01:05In the distance, the sound of bombs and a fire breaks out on the hill opposite.

01:10The team was stuck at the base for almost two hours before setting off again.

01:15That day, at least 12 localities were bombed in southern Lebanon, making it one of the

01:19most violent days since October the 8th.

01:22So is a full-scale war on the horizon.

01:24These forces are preparing for all possible outcomes, according to the colonel of the

01:28French force.

01:30We have been in a critical situation since October 2023.

01:35In this respect, we are preparing to deal with any situation, but above all, and most

01:40importantly, we are maintaining a permanent stance of having a visible and active presence

01:47throughout the zone of operations.

01:49Following this, Hezbollah fired a series of rockets into Israel, which went as far as

01:53the city of Haifa, a first since 2006.

01:57In Lebanon, more than 110,000 people have been displaced by the fighting.

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