ROME (Reuters) – Lebanon on Monday condemned attacks on the United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) stationed in its south, including last week’s rocket strike in which four Italian soldiers were lightly injured.
The 10,000-strong multi-national UNIFIL mission is monitoring hostilities along the demarcation line with Israel, an area hit by fierce clashes between the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia and Israeli forces.
Since Israel launched a ground campaign across the border against Hezbollah at the end of September, UNIFIL soldiers have suffered several attacks coming from both sides.
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“Lebanon strongly condemns any attack on UNIFIL and calls on all sides to respect the safety, security of the troops and their premises,” Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said during a conference in Rome.
Bou Habib spoke before attending a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Anagni, southeast of Rome, along with other colleagues from the Middle East, which was set to discuss conflicts in the region.
Bou Habib added: “Lebanon condemns recent attacks on the Italian contingent and deplores such unjustified hostilities.” Italy said Hezbollah was likely responsible for the attack carried out on Friday against its troops in UNIFIL.
Beirut’s foreign minister called for implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a previous war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006 with a ceasefire that has faced challenges and violations over the years.
“Lebanon is ready to fulfil its obligations stipulated in the above-mentioned resolution,” Bou Habib said.
“This literally means and I quote: ‘There will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon’.”
Hezbollah, militarily more powerful than Lebanon’s regular army, says it is defending the country from Israeli aggression. It vows to keep fighting and says it will not lay down arms or allow Israel to achieve political gains on the back of the war.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Alvise Armellini and Mark Heinrich)
