Skip to main content

Four Italian soldiers injured in strike at UNIFIL Lebanon base

1 min

Four Italian soldiers were lightly injured after two rockets exploded at a UNIFIL peacekeeping force base in southern Lebanon, the Rome government said on Friday, expressing outrage at the incident.

It was Hezbollah that fired the rockets. UNIFIL does not mention it but has clearly determined the origin of the shots © X

 

Four Italian soldiers were lightly injured after two rockets exploded at a UNIFIL peacekeeping force base in southern Lebanon, the Rome government said on Friday, expressing outrage at the incident.

The U.N. mission known as UNIFIL is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the demarcation line with Israel -- an area that has seen fierce clashes this month between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

Since Israel launched a ground campaign across the border against Hezbollah fighters at the end of September, UNIFIL soldiers have suffered several attacks.

"I reiterate once again that such attacks are unacceptable and I renew my call for the parties on the ground to ensure the safety of UNIFIL soldiers at all times and to work together to quickly identify those responsible," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement.

Italian sources said an investigation into the facts was under way. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian media that Hezbollah might be responsible for the attack.

The defence ministry said in a statement that the two 122mm rockets hit a bunker in the base at Chama village and a room near the international military police headquarters, causing damage to the surrounding infrastructure.

Some glass shattered due to the explosion, hitting the four soldiers, the statement said.

"It is intolerable that once again a UNIFIL base has been hit," Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said.

Italy has long been a major contributor to the 10,000-strong multi-national operation, providing more than 1,000 soldiers.

Israel has also been accused of carrying out some of the attacks, but has denied such incidents were deliberate. It has told UNIFIL to evacuate from southern Lebanon for its own safety - a request that the force has rejected.

Reporting by Angelo Amante

Related

Syria

Foreign armies in Syria and how they came to be there

The resurgence of fighting in Syria has brought into focus the role of foreign powers in the country. Turkey, Iran, Russia and the United States have all deployed troops in Syria since 2011, while Israel mounts frequent airstrikes in Syrian territory.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.