Crafty! Claiming it’s a UNIFIL MTF deployment when clearly its all about Syria and nothing else. The UN itself blows a hole in the Italian story – only listing Bangladeshi, Brazilian, German, Greek, Indonesian and Turkish ships assigned to the MTF. Oh well… whatever fools the Italian public for however long it fools the Italian public.
ITS Andrea Doria (D553) is a Horizon-class destroyer commissioned into the Marina Militare in 2007. Primarily equipped for air-defense, she would prove useful in the ballistic missile defence rôle, though of limited use in the strike rôle. European navies lack of cruise missile launch capability is coming home to roost.
Italy sends destroyer to Lebanese coast
Italy sent a destroyer to the Lebanese coast within the scope of UNIFIL to protect its military personnel against any developments in the case of possible intervention in Syria.
Italy sent a destroyer to the Lebanese coast within the scope of the United Nation Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to protect its military personnel against any developments in the case of a possible intervention in Syria.
Speaking on ‘SKY TG 24’ tv channel, Luigi Binelli-Mantelli, Chief of General Staff stated that one ship had departed to protect for more than a thousand Italian soldiers along the east Mediterranean Sea.
The Andrea Doria destroyer would be sent with 1 helicopter and 195 military personnel as well as the Maestrale frigate, according to the information Italian press received from the Ministry of Defense on Wednesday,
However, Binelli-Mantelli stressed only “one ship” would be sent.
1,100 Italian soldiers work within UNIFIL.
On 11 July 2013, the Brazilian frigate BNS União (F45) will take over from BNS Constituição (F42) as Brazil’s contribution to the 
Naval Matters 