Indonesia troops join U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon

BEIRUT, Nov 10 (Reuters) A 129-strong Indonesian military team joined U.N. peacekeepers in south Lebanon today, bringing the number of international troops to around 9,700 from 21 countries, the UN force, UNIFIL, said.

The Indonesian advance team will be followed by the main body comprising 725 soldiers from the Asian country in late November.

UNIFIL said there are around 8,000 peacekeepers deployed on the ground between the Litani River and the border with Israel plus some 1,700 navy personnel patrolling Lebanon's coast.

Some 10,000 Lebanese soldiers are also deployed in the area, a stronghold of Hezbollah guerrillas.

Israel had initially objected to peacekeepers coming from nations which do not recognise the Jewish state, but later relaxed that stance.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has no diplomatic ties with Israel.

The UN force is being deployed in Lebanon after a truce halted Israel's 34-day war with Hezbollah guerrillas in mid-August.

REUTERS SB PM2148