Opération Baliste
Opération Baliste was a French aeronaval operation off Lebanon aimed at securing citizens of the European Union in the context of the 2006 Lebanon War.
Components
Opération Baliste employed 1,700 men under Counter Admiral Xavier Magne. The operation was threefold :- An aerial transport group, composed with one Transall C-160 and 3 Eurocopter Cougar
- A battlegroup of the French Army, including motorised infantry, engineering, ALAT and light armour.
- An amphibious naval group composed with the amphibious operation ships and, and the frigates and. The group had hospital capabilities, combat helicopters, transport helicopters, and landing craft.
History
On 18 August 2006, 14,500 people had been evacuated. On 20 August, the amphibious assault ship and the frigate sailed from Toulon to join the theatre and convoy elements from the 2nd and 13th Regiments of Engineering, as well as over 100 engineering vehicles for the UNIFILOn 3 October, an Israeli fighter penetrated the defence perimeter of the stealth frigate, triggering a diplomatic incident. Israel apologised after official protests from the French government.