U.N. protects Lebanon mission convoys

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- With the reported shifting of al-Qaida fighters to Lebanon, the U.N. peacekeeping force in South Lebanon is moving to protect supply convoys, officials say.

The Palestinian Ain Hilwe camp near Sidon has been declared a no-go zone for U.N. convoys for fear of terrorist attacks.

Supply convoys using the main coastal road from Beirut to Sidon were restricted to travel between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. under armored vehicle escort, the United Nations told the DEBKAfile news service.

Dell Dailey, counter-terrorist operations director at the U.S. State Department, said al-Qaida had responded to U.S. military strength in Iraq by moving some of its forces to Lebanon.

Those operatives were reported to be split between two Palestinian camps: Ain Hilwa and Nahr al-Barad near the northern town of Tripoli.