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Italy Calls in Israeli Ambassador Over Lebanon UNIFIL Hit
(MENAFN) Italy took direct diplomatic action Wednesday, summoning Israel's ambassador in Rome after Israeli warning shots struck an Italian UN peacekeeping vehicle during active hostilities in Lebanon.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani moved swiftly, announcing the summons in a post on X, the US social media platform, stating he had "just instructed the Israeli ambassador to Italy to be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify what happened today in Lebanon," stressing that "the Italian military will remain untouched."
The diplomatic rebuke followed Tajani's earlier address to parliament, in which he confirmed that an Italian UNIFIL convoy had sustained damage amid escalating hostilities in the country.
"Israeli warning shots damaged one of our vehicles; fortunately, no injuries were reported, but the convoy had to return," Tajani said, according to a news agency, adding that the convoy had been carrying personnel to Beirut for repatriation.
The foreign minister painted an alarming picture of the broader military situation on the ground, warning of a sharp surge in Israeli aerial activity. He said there had been "the most violent Israeli bombing since the resumption of the war, with 150 aircraft reportedly engaged across Lebanon" — a scale of bombardment that signals a dangerous new threshold in the conflict.
The incident threatens to strain Rome's relations with Tel Aviv at a particularly volatile moment, as Italy remains one of the largest contributors of troops to UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force deployed along Lebanon's southern frontier.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani moved swiftly, announcing the summons in a post on X, the US social media platform, stating he had "just instructed the Israeli ambassador to Italy to be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify what happened today in Lebanon," stressing that "the Italian military will remain untouched."
The diplomatic rebuke followed Tajani's earlier address to parliament, in which he confirmed that an Italian UNIFIL convoy had sustained damage amid escalating hostilities in the country.
"Israeli warning shots damaged one of our vehicles; fortunately, no injuries were reported, but the convoy had to return," Tajani said, according to a news agency, adding that the convoy had been carrying personnel to Beirut for repatriation.
The foreign minister painted an alarming picture of the broader military situation on the ground, warning of a sharp surge in Israeli aerial activity. He said there had been "the most violent Israeli bombing since the resumption of the war, with 150 aircraft reportedly engaged across Lebanon" — a scale of bombardment that signals a dangerous new threshold in the conflict.
The incident threatens to strain Rome's relations with Tel Aviv at a particularly volatile moment, as Italy remains one of the largest contributors of troops to UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force deployed along Lebanon's southern frontier.
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