(Adnkronos) – Italy’s government has voiced “concern” the worst violence in southern Lebanon since a November ceasefire, that saw Israel launch a barrage of air strikes in response to a rocket attack on Saturday that followed the Jewish state’s resumed military offensive in Gaza.
“The Italian government is following the situation in southern Lebanon with concern,” Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“All parties must respect their commitments and defend the progress achieved. Further escalations would represent a serious risk for the region,” the post added.
‘We support the role of Unifil (the United Nations force in southern Lebanon) and the safety of all the soldiers engaged in this important peace mission,” the post underlined.
Israel re-started ground and air attacks last Tuesday as talks to extend the ceasefire deal failed to progress, warning that the attacks would intensify until Gaza’s ruling Islamist Palestinian group Hamas freed the remaining hostages it seized in its lethal cross-border rampage on 7 October 2023.
Hamas is still holding 59 hostages out of the around 250 hostages it took in the attack, 24 of whom are believed to still be alive, according to Israeli tallies.
