Italy’s Defense Ministry has summoned the Israeli ambassador to express protest over the recent Israeli air strikes that wounded two UNIFIL peacekeepers. The strikes in central Beirut resulted in 22 deaths and 117 injuries as Israeli military targeted residential buildings affiliated with Hezbollah. The attacks come after a year of escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, culminating in all-out war with heavy Israeli strikes and a ground invasion.
Hezbollah retaliated by expanding rocket fire into more populated areas of Israel, disrupting daily life. In a separate incident on the same day, Israeli forces fired on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, prompting widespread condemnation. Italy’s Defense Ministry and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the attack on peacekeepers “unacceptable.”
UNIFIL, with over 10,000 peacekeepers from various countries, was established to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon in 1978. The recent Israeli strikes on UNIFIL personnel put peacekeepers at serious risk, according to Jean-Pierre Lacroix of the UN Security Council.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel last October in support of Palestinians in Gaza. The ongoing violence has resulted in over 2,000 deaths and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. The Israeli security cabinet is reportedly meeting to discuss a response to the recent drone interceptions and continued rocket fire from Hezbollah.
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