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Polish soldiers in Lebanon are safe, says the Minister of National Defense

01.10.2024 09:35
"We are closely monitoring and analyzing the situation in Lebanon. Despite a challenging night, our soldiers in the Polish Military Contingent in Lebanon are safe, and the current military operations are taking place outside of their stationed area," announced Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Warsaw, 01.10.2024. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (center-left) during the inauguration of the 20242025 academic year at the Academy of War Art in Warsaw, on the 1st of the current month.
Warsaw, 01.10.2024. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (center-left) during the inauguration of the 2024/2025 academic year at the Academy of War Art in Warsaw, on the 1st of the current month. (amb) PAP/Piotr Nowak

For two weeks, Israel has been bombing Lebanon, and last night, the Israeli army launched a ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

As part of the UN's UNIFIL mission, Poland is closely cooperating with allies and will make further decisions based on the situation, the Ministry of National Defense communicated via social media.

Israel's air and artillery-supported operation, approved by its political leadership, runs parallel to the fighting in Gaza, aiming to secure Israel's northern region, from which thousands of people have been evacuated.

Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has vowed to continue fighting Israel, while the Israeli military claims to have eliminated most of the group's commanders.

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has long advised against traveling to this region.

"For several weeks, we have been urging Poles to leave Lebanon unless they have a very urgent reason to stay. We strongly ask our citizens to act responsibly; this is not a safe place to be right now," said Minister Radosław Sikorski on TVN24.

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Source: IAR/PAP/MON/MSZ

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