LEBANON: Italian troops set up UNIFIL roadblocks in south Lebanon and Spanish troops inspect waters off the coast of the region

Italian forces fanned out along the streets of southern Lebanon on Thursday (September 14), setting up roadblocks and checkpoints to monitor traffic. Italian troops have been stationed in the south for some two weeks and have gradually formed part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) presence which is expected to be completed within the coming weeks and which will take security control of the south of Lebanon when Israel formally quits the region. Fourteen Spanish troops also arrived off the coast of southern Lebanon on Thursday (September 14) and sent divers out into the waters to check for unexploded ordinance, ahead of the arrival of the remainder of the Spanish contingent in the region. The soldiers were checking distance and depth, using barometers and long chords. "Well, today we are doing a reconnaissance of the beach before the deployment of Spanish troops, to prepare their arrival in Lebanon to accomplish a humanitarian mission," Rafael, a naval commander with the Spanish contingent, said. Spain is expected to send some 900 troops to Lebanon on Friday (September 15). Thursday's inspections were the first visible diving patrols along Tyre's coast. Germany's cabinet approved "historic" plans on Wednesday (September 13) to send naval and air forces to Lebanon to help guarantee security after Israel's one-month war against Hizbollah guerrillas. A 2,400-strong German naval contingent will patrol Lebanon's coast to prevent weapons reaching Hizbollah to help enforce the UN-sponsored truce that ended the war. Russia also said it would send up to 400 troops to concentrate on rebuilding infrastructure destroyed in Israel's offensive. The Russian soldiers will work independently of the UN peacekeeping force, which is being reinforced to pave the way for a complete Israeli troop withdrawal from south Lebanon. Around 3,750 UNIFIL peacekeepers are now in Lebanon and their number is expected to swell to 5,000 over the weekend with the arrival of more French and Spanish troops. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said Israel should complete its pullout once 5,000 peacekeepers are deployed. Israel launched its 34-day war with Hizbollah after the Shi'ite Muslim group captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12. Nearly 1,200 people were killed in Lebanon in the war, mostly civilians, and 157 Israelis died. Israel has demanded the unconditional release of the two soldiers, but Defence Minister Amir Peretz signalled on Wednesday that it might consider releasing a long-held Lebanese prisoner, Samir al-Qantar, in exchange. In 1979 Qantar took part in the killings of an Israeli, his 4-year-old daughter and a policeman in northern Israel. Witnesses said Qantar, aged 17 at the time of his arrest, shot the man and then smashed the girl's head with his rifle butt. Nasrallah said no agreement with Israel would be possible without Qantar's release.

ITN Source | September 15, 2006

Tags:. .smashed. .monitor. .raid. .patrols. .offensive