The Italian defence ministry on
Friday denied that an Italian base of the UNIFIL mission in
southern Lebanon had been targeted again by the Israeli army
amid conflicting reports on an alleged IDF bulldozer breaking
down walls of a base that was one of three attacked Thursday.
After the reports that the base had been attacked for the second
time, the ministry issued a statement saying the Ministry of
Defense "categorically denies these claims.
"The checks conducted in the field confirm that there has been
no further attack.
"Activities relating to the restoration of the previously
damaged structures are currently underway carried out in full
coordination and agreement between the Italian UNIFIL units, the
Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)".
The repair intervention, the Defense ministry added, "was made
necessary due to the damage found in recent days and is aimed at
guaranteeing the safety and operability of the mission's
facilities.
"The operations were planned and are being carried out with the
consent of all interested parties, ensuring full compliance with
the international agreements and protocols in force".
The ministry invited the media "to carefully verify the
information before its dissemination, in order to avoid the
spread of unfounded news that could generate concern".
Earlier, according to qualified security sources who are
following the dossier and are in contact with the leaders of the
UN mission, the attack allegedly took place overnight at the
1-31 base - already hit in recent days - and two demarcation
walls of the base were knocked down.
Israeli forces started targetting UNIFIL bases Thursday with
three attacks on Italian bases which Defence Minister Guido
Crosetto called a war crime, summoning the Israeli ambassador to
Rome to lodge a formal complaint.
Premier Giorgia Meloni has also called the attacks unacceptable.
Italy has about 1,100 troops in the UN peacekeeping buffer
force, which has been in Lebanon since 1978.
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