The Minister of Defence receives the latest news from the ‘blue line’, as well as relevant aspects of the situation in the Sahel.
The Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, during the meeting she held at the Operations Command (MPOS) The Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, during the meeting she held at the Operations Command (MPOS).
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The situation in Lebanon, the focus of Spanish operations abroad
The Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, visited the Operations Command (MPOS) at its Retamares base in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), to learn about the current state of the situation, especially the Spanish contingent in Lebanon, with which she spoke by videoconference.
‘Spain is doing a very significant job, in a complicated and difficult situation, to prevent the conflict from escalating, and the contingent is taking all the necessary security measures’, said Robles, who praised the intermediary work of Spanish Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro, head of UNIFIL.
On her arrival at the base, Robles met with the new head of MOPS, Lieutenant General José Antonio Agüero, before going to the Gran Capitán room to receive the latest news on military operations.
In the video conference with Lebanon, the chief of staff of the UNIFIL mission, Lieutenant Colonel Javier Romera, commented on the tense calm in the area, with 27 incidents recorded yesterday. While awaiting the reaction of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia to the Israeli attacks, Romera reported that they are currently on level 1 alert but are prepared to move to level 2 or 3, which means the bunkerisation of the contingent.
Minister Robles pointed out the ‘magnificent relationship of the Spanish military with the civilian population’, a large part of whom have been forced to abandon their homes along the ‘blue line’ due to the increase in hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia following the war in Gaza.
Deterrence and defence in the Gulf of Guinea and Indian Ocean, where Houthi militia attacks have increased in recent months, with an average of approximately one every three days, was also discussed during the situation point.
The situation in the Sahel and Mali was also of special interest to the Minister of Defence, who stressed the great importance of NATO’s recent selection of a Spanish representative for the Alliance’s Southern Flank.
In addition, an update has been provided on the fire-fighting operation in Spain and the basic and specific training of Ukrainian military personnel, through the Toledo Training Coordination Center (TTCC), with a new arrival of some 200 soldiers at the end of August.
Operations Command (MOPS)
A total of 340 personnel make up the staff of the Operations Command, which is made up of a General Staff, a Joint Special Operations Command, a nucleus of the Multinational Joint Headquarters and the Retamares Security and Services Headquarters.
The Operations Command is the body responsible for the operational planning, conduct and monitoring of military operations and exercises, and advises the Chief of Defence Staff.