"The navy will help on one hand to prevent the smuggling of weapons (to Hezbollah) and on the other will help the Lebanese army to protect its coast and border," Merkel said Thursday after holding talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Merkel said Germany wanted to help Lebanon rebuild and create a "sovereign, strong and democratic country".

Lebanon was heavily bombed by Israeli forces fighting the Hezbollah organization in July and August.

Germany is sending about 2,400 military personnel to Lebanon, including a 1,400-strong naval contingent, in the country's first military mission in the Middle East since World War II.

The German navy -- the first ships are expected to arrive in the Middle East within days -- is taking charge of the maritime component of the UNIFIL international peacekeeping force.

Siniora urges Israel to get out of Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called on Israel on Thursday to speed up its withdrawal from Lebanese territories and to stop what he said were repeated forays into his country's sea and air space.

"Resolution 1701 has to be respected by all parties," Siniora said at a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, referring to the U.N. resolution which ended a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

"I think Israel has to really expedite the process of withdrawal from all the newly occupied territories and it has to stop its incursions and violations of our airspace, waters and lands," Siniora added.

Merkel urged all sides to respect the resolution, while taking care not to criticize Israel. Support for Israel has been a fundamental policy of all German governments since the fall of the Nazis. The Arabs and specially the Palestinians are not too keen on this attitude by Germany because its support to the Jewish state is at the expense of the Arabs, who have nothing to do with Nazi - Jewish problem. Unfortunately the Zionists are duplicating in the Arab lands what the Nazis did to them in Germany.

Sources: Ya Libnan, agencies