Four Italian U.N. peacekeepers wounded as Israel and Hezbollah militants clash in Lebanon

Rome — Four Italian soldiers were lightly hurt Friday in a rocket “attack” on the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon amid reported intense clashes between Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces, Rome said Friday. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said initial evidence pointed to Hezbollah being behind the strike that wounded the peacekeepers. 

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed “deep indignation and concern” over “new attacks suffered by the Italian headquarters of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon.”

“These attacks are unacceptable,” she said in a statement, calling on “the parties on the ground to guarantee, at all times, the safety of UNIFIL soldiers and to collaborate to quickly identify those responsible.”

Meloni did not attribute blame but her foreign minister and deputy prime minister Tajani told reporters it was likely Hezbollah.

“There were believed to be two missiles, from what it appears, they are believed to have been launched by Hezbollah,” he said in Turin.

A foreign ministry spokesman said the Italians would await an investigation by UNIFIL.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said “four Italian soldiers were slightly injured following the explosion of two 122 mm rockets that hit the UNP 2-3 base in Shama” in southern Lebanon.

Two rockets appear to have hit a bunker on the base and the soldiers were hit by glass shards after windows shattered, Crosetto said, slamming the attack as “intolerable.”

In a statement, Crosetto said he contacted his Lebanese counterpart, “reiterating that the Italian contingent of UNIFIL remains in southern Lebanon to offer a window of opportunity for peace and cannot become hostage to attacks by militias.”

“I will try to speak with the new Israeli Minister of Defense, which has been impossible since he took office, to ask him to avoid using UNIFIL bases as a shield,” he said.

“Even more intolerable is the presence of terrorists in South Lebanon who are endangering the safety of the blue helmets [UNIFIL peacekeepers] and the civilian population,” he added.

Tasked since 1978 with monitoring the “Blue Line” separating Lebanon from Israel, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has more than 9,300 troops based in the country. The UNIFIL forces have come under attack several times during the Israel-Hezbollah war, including by Israeli forces, according to the U.N.

The U.S. government has helped lead ongoing negotiations aimed at brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, and there was hope earlier this week as top White House envoy Amos Hochstein returned to Israel for discussions with senior Israeli officials, but he returned to Washington without any real advances being announced.