"We are like a wounded referee who continues to do his job. We do not want to leave, think about what would happen in a scenario like the current one if there were no blue helmets in southern Lebanon. We must also stay in view of the day after, when this war will end."
This is what Unifil spokesman Andrea Tenenti told Corriere della Sera, speaking the day after the attack against the base under the command of the Sassari Brigade, which led to the minor wounding of four Sardinian soldiers by two Hezbollah rockets. "Several times," Tenenti added, "we have come close to a solution, even recently. It's almost here."
Meanwhile, the conflict "is getting worse. There is much more violence, fighting is increasingly closer to our bases which in the end are involved in the attacks." Yesterday's "was semi-deliberate. With our presence we create problems for the parties in conflict, but that's what we're there for. That's why Israel asked us to leave."
Do you also dialogue with Hezbollah? "No, only with Lebanon and Israel because it is with them that the mandate of our mission was decided. The dialogue is continuous: we want to return to the stability in the area that existed before October 7th. It is not easy. We do what we can with the current resolution."
(Online Union)