Italy summons Israeli ambassador after shots fired at UN in Lebanon

By Angelo Amante

ROME, April 8 (Reuters) – Italy summoned the Israeli ambassador on Wednesday to demand an explanation over shots fired at an Italian convoy in a U.N. mission in Lebanon, the foreign minister said, warning Israeli forces had “no authority to touch” Rome’s troops.

The U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along a demarcation line with Israel – an area that has seen major clashes between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

“Israeli warning shots have damaged one of our vehicles; fortunately, no one was injured,” Antonio Tajani said in the lower house of parliament. He later wrote on X that he had ordered that the Israeli ambassador be summoned.

“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,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said separately.

Meloni called for an end to the war in Lebanon, building on the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

While condemning Hezbollah, she said, “Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon which have already resulted in too many deaths and an unacceptable number of displaced people, must cease immediately.”

A defence ministry statement said the Italian logistics convoy was travelling from Shama to Beirut on Wednesday when, about 2 km after departure, the Israeli military fired warning shots. The convoy immediately stopped and returned to base, it said.

The incident came as Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with militant group Hezbollah broke out early last month, saying a ceasefire suspending the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran did not apply to Lebanon.

UNIFIL comprised about 7,500 peacekeepers as of March 30, according to the mission’s website, and Italy is one of the main contributors with more than 750 soldiers deployed.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante, additional reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Gavin Jones and Ros Russell)