CAIRO: The Egyptian authorities stepped up security around the Suez Canal on Tuesday in preparation for the passage of warships heading to Lebanon, security sources told AFP. Egyptian authorities have increased security in the Suez Canal in preparation for the passage of warships headed to Lebanon to support international forces there, the source said. No person is allowed in the 14 stations along the canal except with special permission, the source said, adding that security had also been tightened for all administrative personnel especially those dealing directly with ships. According to naval sources, the bulk of the warships expected to cross the canal should be U.S. vessels coming from the Gulf to increase presence in the eastern Mediterranean as international forces deploy in Lebanon. The UN resolution for an end to the month-long fighting between Israel and Hezbollah which came into effect last week calls for a strengthened international force in war-battered south Lebanon. The war killed close to 1,300 people in Lebanon, most of them Lebanese civilians, and killed 160 people in Israel, mostly soldiers. AFP
Egypt steps up Suez Canal security as warships head to Lebanon
