Over the last two months, the UN has warned of increasing tension along the
Israeli-Lebanese border, including Israeli overflights and Iranian weapons
shipments to Lebanon from neighboring Syria.
Officials said the UN Interim Force in Lebanon concluded a one-day
exercise to test its response to an emergency in southern Lebanon.
Also In This Edition
The exercise aimed to evacuate UN civilians and their families from the area
south of Lebanon's Litani River.
"This training is routine and conducted by all UN personnel and
civilians wherever there is deployment by an international force," UNIFIL
spokesman Neeraj Singh said.
During the exercise, UN civilians were directed to a helicopter strip
for rapid evacuation from southern Lebanon. Officials said the exercise was
coordinated with the Lebanese Army.
UNIFIL contains about 13,500 troops from both NATO and Asian states.
"All violations are reported without any exception and on time," Singh
said.