Italian government officials called in Israel’s ambassador Wednesday following a shooting incident involving Italian peacekeepers serving with United Nations forces in Lebanon.
The incident occurred when Israeli military personnel fired warning shots at an Italian convoy operating as part of the UN peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL, which monitors the volatile border region between Israel and Lebanon.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italy’s parliament that “Israeli warning shots have damaged one of our vehicles; fortunately, no one was injured.” He later announced on social media that he had directed officials to summon the Israeli ambassador for an explanation.
Tajani emphasized that Israeli forces had “no authority to touch” Italian troops deployed in the region.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a strong condemnation of the incident, stating “It is completely unacceptable that personnel operating under the U.N. flag should be put at risk by irresponsible actions such as today’s, which are in clear violation of U.N. Resolution 1701.”
According to Italy’s defense ministry, the logistics convoy was traveling from Shama to Beirut Wednesday morning when Israeli military forces opened fire with warning shots approximately two kilometers into their journey. The convoy immediately halted operations and returned to their base.
Meloni also called for an immediate end to Israeli military operations in Lebanon, which she said have caused excessive casualties and displaced numerous civilians. While acknowledging Hezbollah’s role in the conflict, she demanded that “Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon which have already resulted in too many deaths and an unacceptable number of displaced people, must cease immediately.”
The shooting took place during what Israeli officials described as their most intensive strikes against Lebanon since fighting with Hezbollah militants escalated last month. Israeli authorities stated that a recent ceasefire agreement suspending hostilities with Iran does not extend to operations in Lebanon.
The UNIFIL peacekeeping operation currently includes approximately 7,500 personnel from various nations, with Italy serving as one of the largest contributors by deploying more than 750 soldiers to the mission.
