U.N. Force Could Strike Israeli Jets

The expanded United Nations force in Lebanon has been equipped with anti-aircraft systems that could be used against intruding Israeli warplanes. Western diplomats said the planned 15,000-member force in Lebanon has received advanced surface-to-air missiles that could threaten Israeli fighter-jets that patrol the border area. They said Israel has already been warned that the SAM batteries could be used. ‘Israel has received such warnings and have taken them very seriously,’ a diplomat said. French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie reported that the Israel Air Force had suspended flights in Lebanon.