Bulgaria's frigate Druzki (Intrepid) will carry out sea patrol missions along the shore of Lebanon, Bulgarian Defense Minister Veselin Bliznakov revealed on Saturday.

The Bulgarian government approved the frigate deployment within the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFEL), said the minister.

He also assured that the risk for the Bulgarian troops will be considerably reduced by taking part in the peacekeeping mission in this form.

The Druzki frigate, with a crew of up to 160, is to be deployed in Lebanon from Oct. 15 to Dec. 15 to patrol Lebanese territorial waters and prevent weapon smuggling.

The government's decision has yet to be approved by the parliament.

The well-armed battleship, compatible with NATO standards, was purchased from Belgium in October 2005 for 23 million euros (about 29 million U.S. dollars) as the first step of the modernization of the Bulgarian army.

The 34-day-long conflict between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah ended on Aug. 14 under UN Resolution 1701, which called for Israel's withdrawal and authorized the expansion of the UN force in Lebanon to 15,000 to help the Lebanese government take control of its southern territory.

Source: Xinhua