| Submit your comments on this article |
| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Italian Peacekeepers land in Lebanon |
| 2006-09-02 |
| MORE than 250 Italian troops landed in south Lebanon today, forming the advance party of Italy's contingent to an expanded U.N. force set up to keep the peace between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas. The marines, armed with automatic rifles and wearing blue U.N. berets, came ashore in the port of Tyre in helicopters and rubber dinghies from the aircraft carrier Garibaldi, the flagship of the Italian fleet. An Italian navy spokesman said about 800 had arrived in Lebanese waters out of a total of about 3000 that Italy has pledged. The rest of the 800 will land later today and tomorrow depending on sea conditions, he added. They gathered at a beach hotel surrounded by Lebanese army soldiers, away from civilians who either welcomed the arrival of new U.N. troops or said they were indifferent. Italian ships are simultaneously unloading military vehicles at the small U.N. port at Naqoura, about 20 km south of Tyre, the Italian spokesman said. The Italians will make up the largest single contingent to the new force, known as UNIFIL II, which will deploy along the Israeli-Lebanese border after a one-month war between Israel and Hizbollah, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim guerrilla movement. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |