The Israeli ambassador in Rome was urgently summoned. Meloni speaks to the contingent commander to renew his closeness with the Italian soldiers
“Intolerable”. The judgment of the Italian government on the attack carried out this morning by the Israeli army against the Naqoura headquarters of Unifil, the UN interposition forces in Lebanon, and against two other bases on the border with Israel, is undoubtedly. According to the spokesperson for the UN mission, Andrea Tenenti, two peacekeepers were injured in the attack, “after a tank fired on an observation tower”. Italian soldiers are also stationed in the two Unifil bases on which fire was opened, 1-31 and 1-32A. None of them would have been injured, but what happened looked exactly like the type of accident that the government in Rome feared and had tried in every possible way to avoid, by exerting repeated pre-emptive pressure on Israel . This was obviously not enough. And now Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are struggling to hide their anger over the attack. “These incidents are intolerable. It is for these reasons that I protested to my Israeli counterpart and to the Israeli ambassador to Italy”, announced the first in the afternoon. The Italian government “formally protested to the authorities Israeli forces and firmly reiterated that what is happening near the base of the UNIFIL contingent is not admissible”, echoed Palazzo Chigi shortly after in a note. Which renews all its closeness with the Italian soldiers employed in the war zone now open.
The Prime Minister's concern
Following the attack, the prime minister spoke with the commander of the western sector of the UNIFIL mission, General Messina, Chigi said. From him “he received an update on the mission and the situation of our contingent engaged in Lebanon, after the headquarters and two Italian bases located in the outposts were hit by fire from the Israeli army. Meloni, who is carefully following the development of the situation, in permanent contact with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, and of Defense, Guido Crosetto, expressed the strong personal and governmental proximity with our soldiers currently engaged in Lebanon in the framework of the UN mission and the bilateral mission Mibil”. The Prime Minister took the opportunity to recall that “the Italians continue to provide invaluable work for the stabilization of the area, in accordance with the mandate of the United Nations. The government, by confirming the fundamental role of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, continues to work towards the cessation of hostilities and de-escalation in the region. But it is no secret that at this stage, d. Huge questions arise regarding the permanence of the UNIFIL contingent in the region.
The ambassador summoned “urgently” and the reconstruction
Shortly after the first news of the attack on the UN bases was broadcast, it was Crosetto who intervened, urgently summoning – the meeting took place around 2 p.m. – the Israeli ambassador to Italy. After the meeting, Crosetto pieced together exactly what happened. “Yesterday, in the evening, IDF regular soldiers neutralized certain components of the video surveillance system of base 1-31, the lighting system and a radio repeater of base 1-32A by firing with portable weapons,” he declared. explained the minister. “So this morning, some small arms fire hit the interior of base 1-31, followed by the flight of a drone.” An attack studied and carried out in several phases therefore, according to this reconstruction. “The situation is currently under control, the staff are safe,” Crosetto concluded.
Crosetto's contacts with Israel and the UN
In front of Meloni, Crosetto himself spoke of an “intolerable” episode which led to the transmission, by Crosetto, of a “formal communication to the United Nations”. An official message aimed at “reaffirming the unacceptability of what is happening in South Lebanon” and reaffirming “Italy's full and constructive collaboration in all military initiatives aimed at promoting a de-escalation of the situation and the restoration of the international right. Especially in the face of an attack that endangers the safety of Italian peacekeepers, “an absolute priority for me and for the entire government.” The dialogue between Rome and Israel did not end with the ambassador. In fact, Minister Crosetto also telephoned Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to reiterate his protest: “What is happening near the Italian bases of the UNIFIL in South Lebanon and, in general, towards the contingent of UNIFIL is unacceptable.” Also because the conduct of the IDF, Crosetto clarified, is “in obvious contrast with international law and in flagrant violation of resolution 1701”.
What to do with Unifil?
At the same time, on the European level, Sébastien Lecornu, Crosetto's French counterpart, has already announced an initiative, taken by mutual agreement with Rome. Next week, on a date which remains to be defined, a video conference will take place in which all the European countries contributing to Unifil will participate: in addition to France and Italy, Spain and Ireland will also be present.