Four Italian soldiers were lightly hurt Friday in a rocket "attack" on the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon amid reported intense clashes between Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces, Rome said Friday. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said initial evidence pointed to Hezbollah being behind the strike that wounded the peacekeepers,
CBS News reports.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed "deep indignation and concern" over "new attacks suffered by the Italian headquarters of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon."
"These attacks are unacceptable," she said in a statement, calling on "the parties on the ground to guarantee, at all times, the safety of UNIFIL soldiers and to collaborate to quickly identify those responsible."
Meloni did not attribute blame but her foreign minister and deputy prime minister Tajani told reporters it was likely Hezbollah.
"There were believed to be two missiles, from what it appears, they are believed to have been launched by Hezbollah," he said in Turin.
A foreign ministry spokesman said the Italians would await an investigation by UNIFIL.
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said "four Italian soldiers were slightly injured following the explosion of two 122 mm rockets that hit the UNP 2-3 base in Shama" in southern Lebanon.
Two rockets appear to have hit a bunker on the base and the soldiers were hit by glass shards after windows shattered, Crosetto said, slamming the attack as "intolerable."
