ROME: Pope Francis has urged for the protection and respect of United Nations peacekeepers following incidents where the UNIFIL headquarters in Lebanon and two Italian bases were struck by Israeli forces. The attacks occurred amid ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, resulting in injuries to five peacekeepers.
According to Ansa News Agency, the incidents prompted Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto to summon the Israeli ambassador to discuss the attacks on UNIFIL, which includes approximately 1,000 Italian troops. Pope Francis, expressing deep concern over the situation in the Middle East, called for an immediate ceasefire across all fronts during his Angelus address. He emphasized the importance of pursuing diplomacy and dialogue to achieve peace, and voiced his support for all populations affected by the conflict including those in Palestine, Israel, and Lebanon.
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, in a conversation with his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin, assured
that measures would be taken to prevent harm to UN peacekeepers. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later expressed the necessity to relocate UNIFIL from areas he described as Hezbollah’s “strongholds and combat areas” during a video statement to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Netanyahu argued that the refusal to move UNIFIL forces made them unintentional shields for Hezbollah, thus endangering their lives and those of Israeli soldiers. Netanyahu also expressed regret over the injuries sustained by UNIFIL personnel and stated that Israel strives to avoid such incidents.
The controversy escalated when on Saturday, 40 countries contributing to UNIFIL, including Italy, denounced the attacks. These nations demanded an immediate cessation of such actions and called for a thorough investigation into the incidents.
