Troops in Lebanon Raises Alert
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
South Korea's Dongmyeong unit in southern Lebanon has raised its security level amid lingering conflicts between Israel and Lebanese militants, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) here said Friday.
Troops and equipment of the unit were unaffected by mortar fire attacks Thursday from Israeli forces, according to JCS spokesman Park Sung-woo.
A day earlier, Israel fired back rockets into Lebanon in retaliation to Lebanese militants' attacks.
``Bomb shells launched by Israel fell about 16 kilometers away from the unit's camp,'' said Park. ``Despite not sustaining damage from the attack, the unit decided to raise its camp protection level from amber to red.''
The unit maintains a four-level security alert ― green, amber, red and black, said Park, adding the unit has suspended its off-post operations, including reconnaissance and surveillance missions.
In July 2007, South Korea dispatched about 350 peacekeeping troops, mostly special forces and engineers, to the southern region of Lebanon at the request of the United Nations.
More than 13,000 troops from over 30 countries, including Italy and Spain, are working with U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL). UNIFIL's missions include overseeing the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and ensuring the stability of the central Lebanese government in the area.
The Dongmyeong unit conducts community outreach activities, under the name ``Peace Wave,'' including the reconstruction of schools and public facilities and medical and educational programs.