Naqoura, Lebanon - The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) carried out a joint live firing exercise combining artillery and machine gun fire near UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura.

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Named "Neptune Thunder", the military exercise is periodically carried out by LAF and UNIFIL forces.

On UNIFIL's part, the exercise was led by the Force Commander Reserve (FCR) comprised of the French contingent. The exercise saw the participation of more contingents than on previous occasions. These included the UNIFIL Sector West Mobile Reserve, Belgian, Irish, Italian and South Korean Battalions, as well as Indonesian Force Protection, Malaysian, Portuguese Engineer and Slovenian Reconnaissance Companies.

The joint exercise is meant to enhance co-operation between LAF and UNIFIL and to help improve the skills and expertise.

Lebanese Navy ships and UNIFIL Maritime Task Force were deployed to ensure safety at sea during the joint military exercise.