Diplomats: UNIFIL Considers Hush-Hush Evacuation of Families from South

The leadership of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon is mulling an evacuation of the families of its staff away from the media spotlight, Lebanese diplomats said.

The diplomats, who were not identified, told As Safir newspaper published Saturday that the UNIFIL leadership hasn't yet taken the decision to order around 200 families out of Lebanon.

But the sources said that there are discussions to evacuate them on an individual basis without a public announcement.

UNIFIL is deployed south of the Litani river, which is a Hizbullah stronghold.

The State Department on Friday ordered nonessential American diplomats and the families of staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to leave Lebanon immediately due to security concerns as the Obama administration is contemplating military action against the Syrian government for its alleged deadly chemical weapons attack last month.

Washington is concerned that such action may spark reprisal attacks by Hizbullah on U.S. interests in the region.

Italy has already dispatched a warship to the eastern Mediterranean that could evacuate UNIFIL's 1,100-member Italian contingent if the conflict in Syria spills over the border.

"This is the best possible asset to act quickly in case of an evacuation," a navy spokesman told Agence France Presse.

The Andrea Doria, a 153-meter long destroyer, "will monitor the situation,”he said.