Elbowed out of the headlines by North Korea's nuclear test, U.N. peacekeeping forces have continued to expand their presence in southern Lebanon in an atmosphere that is both nervous and uneventful, according to official reports from the area Monday. Troops from Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and other European countries have been arriving in Lebanon since early September, and taking up positions in the south alongside the Lebanese army. Their role is to ensure observance of the mid-August cease-fire that ended the 34 days of fierce fighting between Israel and Hezbollah fighters. With Iran defying admonitions by the U.N. Security Council to stop enriching uranium, and Pyongyang's announcement that it has tested a nuclear device, the Lebanese situation has disappeared from the main headlines. Even so, 5,200 European troops have so far been deployed on the ground in southern Lebanon; and on Monday the French government announced that it will host a second donors' conference to finance Lebanon's recovery.
No News is Good News in Southern Lebanon
