Later, the force reportedUNIFILThe soldiers were injured as a result of the firing of “two 122 mm rockets” at the headquarters of the Western Sector Command in the town of Shamaa, suggesting that Hezbollah, which has been waging confrontations with Israel in the town since last week, was likely responsible for launching the two rockets.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement: “I have been informed with great dissatisfaction and concern that new attacks targeted the Italian headquarters of the UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon, hitting… Italian soldiers“.
She added: “These attacks are unacceptable, and I repeat my call to ensure the security of UNIFIL soldiers at all times, and to cooperate to quickly identify those responsible for the attack.”
Meloni did not indicate a specific party that launched the attack, but her Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani He pointed the finger of blame at Hezbollah, and told reporters in Turin in the north of the country, “They appear to be two missiles, also launched by Hezbollah.”
The Italian Ministry of Defense said in a statement, “Four Italian soldiers were slightly injured after the explosion of two 122 mm shells that hit a base housing the Italian battalion and the Western Sector Command of UNIFIL in Shama.”
The statement quoted Defense Minister Guido Crosetto as saying: “I will try to speak to the new Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, which has been impossible since he took office, to ask him to avoid using UNIFIL rules “Shields.”
In a statement, Hezbollah claimed to have targeted, before noon on Friday, “a gathering of Israeli enemy army forces in the town of Shamaa” with a missile barrage.
In a later statement, UNIFIL said that the two missiles were fired “most likely by Hezbollah or its affiliated groups,” explaining that the attack was the “third” attack on its base in Shamaa within a week.
It urged “warring parties strongly to avoid fighting near their positions”, as well as “to respect the sanctity of buildings United Nations and its employees at all times.”
The UN force counted more than 30 incidents in October, resulting in material damage or injuries among soldiers, including about 20 resulting from gunfire or Israeli actions.
UNIFIL is deployed in Lebanon Since 1978, its members have been charged with ensuring respect for the Blue Line drawn by the United Nations between Lebanon and Israel following the Israeli army’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.
Italy is the largest contributor to this force (1,068 soldiers, according to the United Nations), followed by Spain, France, and Ireland.
