Britain is to provide a destroyer warship as part of the United Nations-backed peacekeeping operation off the Lebanese coast, the Ministry of Defence said Saturday. "The UK is pleased to be able to assist the UN by providing HMS York to support its Lebanon maritime operation," a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman told AFP.
She could not specify whether the destroyer was in place off the Lebanese coast in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Israel lifted its naval blockade of Lebanon on Friday. The Israelis said the UN naval force, led by Italy, would now be responsible for ensuring no arms bound for Hizbollah could reach Lebanon via the coast.
HMS York, a Type 42 Destroyer, was one of the first Royal Navy ships on the scene assisted in the evacuation of British citizens from the Lebanon at the start of the conflict between Israel and the Hizbollah militia in July. Type 42 Destroyers, which have a complement of 287 personnel and are armed with a Lynx helicopter, form the backbone of the Royal Navy's anti-air capability.
They can operate independently carrying out patrol and boarding operations, recently enforcing UN embargoes in the Persian Gulf and the Adriatic Sea as well as providing humanitarian assistance in Monserrat and East Timor.
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