Italian mission turns German

The Italian navy Sunday handed over to German command the UN naval force tasked with patrolling Lebanon’s coastline to prevent arms smuggling following Israel’s war with Shiite movement Hezbollah. The ceremony aboard Italy’s flagship Garibaldi aircraft carrier in Beirut harbour was also attended by United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Commander Major General Alain Pellegrini, who hailed the Italians’ mission— which helped end a crippling Israeli blockade of Lebanon—as ‘a real success.’