German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out sending Germany's combat troops and police to Lebanon as part of an expanded UN peacekeeping mission to secure a shaky cease-fire between Lebanon's Hezbollah group and Israel after their month-long fighting. In an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper published on Sunday, Merkel reiterated Germany's stance on this issue, namely, its emphasis on avoiding the risk of a direct confrontation between German and Israeli soldiers as memories of the Holocaust are still fresh. However, she conceded that Germany planned to send a small navy unit to help guard Lebanon's coastal waters to curb the flow of weapons into the volatile border region. Germany is also considering offering advisors and technical support to the Lebanese border police at the Israeli and Syrian frontiers and the Beirut international airport, she said.