A Swedish coastal patrol vessel, part of an expanded UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, has left for the Mediterranean, the Swedish military said on Wednesday.

"The corvette HMS Gaevle set sail late on Tuesday as part of its transfer to the Mediterranean," the Swedish military said in a statement.

While the vessel is currently manned by a skeleton crew to sail to the area, the full crew of 41 is expected to join the ship in Spain by the middle of October, Swedish Radio reported.

No date has been set yet for the ship's arrival off the Lebanese coast, as the deployment must still be approved by the Swedish parliament.

While the mission was originally planned by the outgoing Social Democratic government, Fredrik Reinfeldt's new Alliance administration is expected to give the mission the go-ahead, according to the report.

Source: Xinhua