During a press conference at Palazzo Chigi, Guido CrosettoItalian Defense Minister, expressed serious concerns regarding Israel’s recent military actions in Lebanon, where the bases ofUnifil were attacked causing two injuries. For the minister, the shooting could be considered a potential “war crime” and certainly “a serious violation of international humanitarian law”.
Crosetto’s anger
The Israeli operations, described by Crosetto as aggressive and without valid military justifications, have generated concern for their repercussions on the stability of the Medium East. “This is not an error – said the Minister of Defense – And it is not an accident, and therefore we need formal, real explanations as quickly as possible. The ambassador was unable to provide explanations.” Italy’s response to this escalation of tension was not long in coming, placing emphasis on the need to observe ongoing developments with great attention and to adopt all necessary measures to protect the safety of Italian personnel engaged in peacekeeping missions. “We cannot reassure – he added – Nobody can be reassured in a situation of this type. The Italian Defense, Italy is following the story, they have done everything to guarantee the safety of anyone working for peace in that area. We are certain that the signal sent today had the same harshness and reached where it was supposed to go. We will see what the explanations will be in the next few days.” France also formally asked Tel Aviv for explanations.
“We don’t take orders”
Minister Crosetto also reiterated Italy’s independence from external influences or pressureshighlighting the primacy of coordinated action under the aegis of United Nations and the fundamental importance of scrupulously adhering to international duties. “I told the ambassador to report to the Israeli government that the United Nations and Italy cannot take orders from Israel, which are there in implementation of a United Nations resolution – explained Crosetto – The only way to discuss is by asking formally the issue at the UN, and not giving orders to those who are there to defend international law”.
Israel’s demands
Sources from the Italian Unifil military meanwhile let it be known that our soldiers will remain “in the bases to do their duty” until “allowed by the UN and the Defense”. The request to evacuate the positions along the border with Lebanon came from Israel, a request that Unifil would have returned to the sender. “We focus on the fight against Hezbollah and will continue coordination with Unifil, we recommend moving Unifil forces 5 kilometers to the north,” the Israeli ambassador to the UN said, Danny Danon. “Our recommendation is that UNIFIL move 5km north to avoid danger as fighting intensifies and as the situation along the Blue Line remains unstable due to Hezbollah aggression.” Tel Aviv’s objective is to destroy Hezbollah’s military capabilities in southern Lebanon to allow the 60,000 displaced Israelis living on the border to return to their homes. According to UN resolution 1701, in fact, Hezbollah should have withdrawn its troops north of the Litani river. And he never did.
After the incident, Unifil had drawn up a note to explain that “any deliberate attack on the forces of peacekeeping It is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council Resolution 1701.” And again: “We remind the IDF and all the actors of their obligations ensure the safety and protection of personnel and United Nations property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times.”
The note from Palazzo Chigi
For its part, Palazzo Chigi, through an official note, confirmed the government’s commitment Georgie Melons in carefully monitoring the situation, leveraging the constant dialogue between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that of Defence. The declared objective is to encourage the cessation of hostilities and contribute to a reduction in tension, confirming the fundamental role played by the UN mission and the Italian forces on site.