22.07.2025.
New combat vehicles for SAF contingent in Lebanon
A military convoy transporting combat and non-combat vehicles for Serbian peacekeepers operating under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) departed today from Base South, heading toward Lebanon via Croatia and Slovenia, where it will continue its journey by sea.
The convoy includes domestically produced M-16 Miloš 4x4 combat vehicles and Toyota off-road vehicles, along with accompanying armament and equipment. These assets are set to replace M-86 MP combat vehicles and PUCH off-road vehicles, which Serbian troops have been using in Lebanon since late 2013.The combined transport operation is the result of nearly a year of organizational and logistical planning. The United Nations, acting as the lead organizer and facilitator, has contracted the German company ITO Global Logistics to carry out the operation.
Commander (N) Duško Bodrožić of the Peacekeeping Operations Centre says that the replacement of vehicles for our troops deployed in Lebanon aims to ensure enhanced protection and safety of Serbian Armed Forces personnel operating in this peacekeeping mission.
According to him, the vehicles are being transported by tow trucks, while the equipment is packed in containers and transported by trucks.— Military assets and equipment will be transported from Base South via Croatia and Slovenia to the Port of Koper, from where they will be shipped to Beirut. Upon arrival, they will be received by UN forces and subsequently delivered to the area of operations (AO), where our contingent is currently deployed. Simultaneously, following the handover of new vehicles to our unit, the assets previously used by Serbian Armed Forces personnel - including 13 M-86 combat vehicles and 14 PUCH transport vehicles, will be repatriated to Serbia via the same route. This concludes a comprehensive and demanding operation aimed at replacing the assets and military equipment used by the Serbian Armed Forces’ contingent in the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon — said Commander Bodrožić. He added that the mission provided an optimal opportunity to assess the quality and effectiveness of newly produced assets from the domestic defence industry under real-world peacekeeping conditions.
The vehicles will be deployed with a Serbian Armed Forces infantry company assigned to the mission’s Sector East, whose primary roles include conducting patrols, carrying out observation duties, and securing the base where the unit is stationed.The Serbian Armed Forces have been contributing personnel to UNIFIL since 2010. In addition to the infantry company operating in Sector East – where Serbian staff officers and a national support element are also deployed – a SAF force protection platoon is currently deployed in the mission’s Sector West.
