Israeli fire on three bases of the Unifil mission deployed in southern Lebanon, where the leadership of the Italian contingent is entrusted to the Sassari Brigade . Two bases are Italian and the third is the mission headquarters, in Naqoura.
Israel fired "repeatedly" and "deliberately," said Andrea Tenenti, spokesman for the United Nations mission present near the demarcation line with Israel and which includes 1,200 Italian soldiers, mostly Sardinians .
According to the reconstruction, observation point no. 12 of the UN base in Naqura, in the extreme south of Lebanon, the most advanced and closest to the demarcation line with Israel, was hit first . The turret, manned by Indonesian peacekeepers, was hit "deliberately" by the Israeli army, whose Merkava tanks were stationed on the crest of the nearby hill of Labbune, where a battle with Hezbollah soldiers had raged all morning.
"I was under the turret. There was a first shot that grazed us. And then the one that hit the observation post in full", a Unifil blue helmet told ANSA. A missile, fired from a tank, is said to have knocked down the observation turret. Two Indonesian soldiers, who were inside the turret, were thrown out and fell into the void. "They are injured but not seriously", Tenenti says.
At the same time, other soldiers of the Jewish state have sown panic in the 1-31 UNIFIL position, managed by the Italian contingent, right next to the Labbune hill. "The soldiers of the Israeli army - Tenenti states - have fired at the 1-31 position, hitting the entrance of the bunker where the blue helmets were taking refuge". In this other attack, "vehicles and a communication system" were damaged. Shortly before, "an Israeli army drone was observed flying inside the UN position up to the entrance of the bunker", Tenenti said. "At this moment the only thing we can do is protect ourselves", commented Italian military sources in Lebanon. "When the shots at the base arrived we were in the bunkers. We will remain in our bases to do our duty, within the perimeter of our security, as long as we are allowed by the UN and the Defense", they added.
"Any deliberate attack on peacekeeping forces constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council Resolution 1701," UNIFIL said, "we are monitoring these issues with the IDF," that is, with the Israeli army.
Crosetto: «Intolerable episodes»
The Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, summoned the ambassador of Tel Aviv to Rome: "These incidents are intolerable - he thundered - they must be carefully and decisively avoided. For these reasons I protested with my Israeli counterpart and with the ambassador of Israel in Italy. This morning I sent a formal communication to the United Nations to reiterate the unacceptability of what is happening in South Lebanon and to ensure the full and constructive collaboration of Italy in all military initiatives aimed at promoting a de-escalation of the situation and the restoration of international law. The safety of the Italian soldiers deployed in Lebanon remains an absolute priority for me and for the entire Italian government , so that the Italian peacekeepers continue their work of mediation and support for Peace and stability in Lebanon and the entire region".
" The acts that occurred have no military motivation. We are waiting for the answer to understand what led to what happened. These are not shots fired by mistake", he added in a press conference at Palazzo Chigi: " The hostile acts committed and repeated by Israeli forces could constitute war crimes , these are very serious violations of international law, not justified by any military reason". And again: "There is no justification for saying that the Israeli armed forces had warned Unifil that some of the bases had to be abandoned. I told the ambassador to tell the Israeli government that the United Nations and Italy cannot take orders from the Israeli government ".
Israel: "Ordered to take cover"
The Israeli response came in the evening: " This morning, IDF troops operated in the Naqura area, next to a UNIFIL base. As a result, the IDF ordered UN forces in the area to remain in protected spaces, after which it opened fire in the area ." The Israeli army wrote on social media. The IDF explains that "Hezbollah operates in and near civilian areas in southern Lebanon, including areas close to UNIFIL positions." And it adds that it "maintains routine communications with UNIFIL."
In the afternoon, a request to move 5 kilometers north came from Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon: "Our recommendation is that UNIFIL move 5 km (3 miles) north to avoid danger as fighting intensifies and as the situation along the Blue Line remains volatile due to Hezbollah aggression," Danon said in a statement.
Meloni: «Closeness to the Italian military»
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in a meeting with the commander of the Western Sector of the Unifil mission, General Messina, received an update on the mission and the situation of our contingent engaged in Lebanon. This is stated in a note from Palazzo Chigi. Meloni is in constant contact with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, and of Defense, Guido Crosetto, and expressed her personal and government closeness to our soldiers currently engaged in Lebanon as part of the UN mission and the bilateral Mibil mission.
The Italian government, the note continues, has formally protested to the Israeli authorities and "firmly reiterated that what is happening near the Unifil contingent base is unacceptable."
(Online Union)