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STORY: :: Italy, France and Spain jointly express 'outrage' after Israeli forces target a UN peacekeeping base in Lebanon

:: Giorgia Meloni, Italian Prime Minister

''As you know, the headquarters of the UNIFIL mission and two Italian bases have been hit by gunfire shots fired by the Israeli forces, and therefore I cannot, even as Italy, not condemn again what has happened. It is unacceptable, it violates what was established by resolution 1701 of the United Nations. The Italian government, as you know, has strongly protested with the Israeli authorities. On this issue, together with Emmanuel Macron and Pedro Sanchez, so France and Spain, we have also decided to make a common declaration.''

:: October 11, 2024

::Pafos, Cyprus

Speaking during a summit with leaders of nine European Union member states in the Mediterranean, Italy's Giorgia Meloni said the strike violates the UN Security Council's resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, which mandates the Lebanese army can keep its southern border area with Israel free of weapons or armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state.

Italy, France and Spain are the largest European contributors to UNIFIL in terms of personnel.

Two U.N. peacekeepers were injured on Friday by an Israeli strike near their watchtower in south Lebanon, the Israeli military said, while blasts shook the peacekeepers' main base in the area for the second time in 48 hours as Israeli forces battled Hezbollah.

The Israeli military expressed "deep concern", and said the peacekeepers had been warned hours earlier to take shelter. The United Nations said both were from Sri Lanka.