LEBANON: Spanish troops arrive in southern Lebanon aboard naval vessels in the city of Tyre as foreign contingents continue to reinforce UNIFIL

About 550 Spanish troops arrived in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre on Friday (September 15) as part of a group of foreign military contingents that are reinforcing the presence of United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Spanish troops came ashore from two landing craft onto a beach in Tyre as Lebanese families basked and swam nearby. Spain's ambassador to Lebanon, Miguel Benzo, told Reuters the U.N. force had already reached a size sufficient for Israel to pull out. Israel said it would complete its pullout as soon as U.N. and Lebanese troops were ready to replace its forces. Spain's forces are expected to set up a base in the south, in the area of El Qantara, and will begin formal deployment throughout the south in the coming days. UNIFIL said 480 troops from the Spanish Marine Expeditionary Force would reach Tyre over the next two days, while an advance party of 80 from the Spanish Legion Brigade would fly to Beirut. A Spanish officer said Spain's contingent would not reach its full strength of 1,100 until the end of October. Various foreign forces are already operating in southern Lebanon, including large contingents from Italy, France, Ghana and India, among others. Germany's cabinet approved "historic" plans on Wednesday (September 13) to send naval and air forces to Lebanon to help guarantee security after the 34-day war between Israel and the 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 U.N. peacekeeping force 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. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said Israel should complete its pullout once 5,000 peacekeepers are deployed. Congestion on the ground has already forced UNIFIL to ask Indonesia to delay sending its contingent until next month. Israel initially objected to troops from nations that do not recognise it, but later relaxed that stance. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim state, has no ties with Israel. Israel attacked the 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. Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz signalled on Wednesday that his country 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 four-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. Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said no agreement with Israel would be possible without Qantar's release. SPANISH MILITARY

ITN Source | September 16, 2006

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