UN mission in Lebanon needs different rules of engagement, Italy says

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By Angelo Amante and John Irish

ROME/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The 16 EU countries contributing to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon believe its rules of engagement need to be more effective, the Italian defence ministry said on Wednesday, although that hinged on Israel stopping its operations.

Since an Israeli ground operation against Hezbollah militants began on Oct. 1, UNIFIL positions have come under fire and two Israeli tanks burst through the gates of one of its bases, the U.N. says. Five peacekeepers have been injured.

The countries, including Spain, Italy and France, contribute more than a third of some 10,000 troops to UNIFIL and the recent incidents have alarmed European governments.

Their defence ministers spoke by video call on Wednesday to assess the situation, discuss how to improve force protection and look at options should a ceasefire materialise, including troop numbers and equipment, diplomats said.

“It was also strongly expressed that the rules of engagement need to be revised to allow UNIFIL to operate more effectively and safely,” an Italian defence ministry statement said, without going into detail.

It added that the 16 had shown a willingness to exert maximum political and diplomatic pressure on Israel so that no further incidents occur.

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told RAI television that changing UNIFIL’s rules of engagement or increasing troop numbers could happen if Israel stopped its operations.

“The message we want to send to Israel is that if you stop your army, the U.N. can also change its approach in that part of Lebanon, so that we can peacefully achieve what you’re now trying to do by attacking Hezbollah’s bases militarily,” he said.

Speaking to Reuters, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, whose country has about 160 troops on the ground, said a key challenge was resupplying UNIFIL troops with food and equipment amid a worsening situation.

He also said dealing with troop rotations was also an issue.

“But I believe the fact that the UN, the international community has ears and eyes in the south of Lebanon continues to be indispensable,” he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday he saw UNIFIL as playing a key role in the “day after” war on Hezbollah.

“The State of Israel places great importance on the activities of UNIFIL and has no intention of harming the organization or its personnel,” Katz said in a statement.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante, John Irish and Andrew Gray and Maayan Lubell; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Alexandra Hudson)