AIRLINK 179.80 Decreased By ▼ -0.56 (-0.31%)
BOP 11.13 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.36%)
CNERGY 8.52 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.12%)
CPHL 97.62 Decreased By ▼ -2.79 (-2.78%)
FCCL 45.97 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.02%)
FFL 16.12 Increased By ▲ 0.31 (1.96%)
FLYNG 28.00 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (0.39%)
HUBC 143.41 Increased By ▲ 0.94 (0.66%)
HUMNL 13.01 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
KEL 4.52 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
KOSM 5.91 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (1.2%)
MLCF 61.90 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
OGDC 212.90 Decreased By ▼ -1.42 (-0.66%)
PACE 5.89 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.51%)
PAEL 46.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.33 (-0.7%)
PIAHCLA 17.61 Decreased By ▼ -0.23 (-1.29%)
PIBTL 10.68 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.56%)
POWER 12.14 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.25%)
PPL 170.50 Decreased By ▼ -2.21 (-1.28%)
PRL 35.17 Decreased By ▼ -0.85 (-2.36%)
PTC 23.08 Decreased By ▼ -0.18 (-0.77%)
SEARL 95.18 Decreased By ▼ -0.88 (-0.92%)
SSGC 40.65 Decreased By ▼ -0.69 (-1.67%)
SYM 14.28 Decreased By ▼ -0.16 (-1.11%)
TELE 7.41 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (0.41%)
TPLP 10.21 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (1.29%)
TRG 67.57 Decreased By ▼ -0.33 (-0.49%)
WAVESAPP 9.99 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.1%)
WTL 1.32 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-1.49%)
YOUW 3.83 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.52%)
AIRLINK 179.80 Decreased By ▼ -0.56 (-0.31%)
BOP 11.13 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.36%)
CNERGY 8.52 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.12%)
CPHL 97.62 Decreased By ▼ -2.79 (-2.78%)
FCCL 45.97 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.02%)
FFL 16.12 Increased By ▲ 0.31 (1.96%)
FLYNG 28.00 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (0.39%)
HUBC 143.41 Increased By ▲ 0.94 (0.66%)
HUMNL 13.01 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
KEL 4.52 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
KOSM 5.91 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (1.2%)
MLCF 61.90 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
OGDC 212.90 Decreased By ▼ -1.42 (-0.66%)
PACE 5.89 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.51%)
PAEL 46.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.33 (-0.7%)
PIAHCLA 17.61 Decreased By ▼ -0.23 (-1.29%)
PIBTL 10.68 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.56%)
POWER 12.14 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.25%)
PPL 170.50 Decreased By ▼ -2.21 (-1.28%)
PRL 35.17 Decreased By ▼ -0.85 (-2.36%)
PTC 23.08 Decreased By ▼ -0.18 (-0.77%)
SEARL 95.18 Decreased By ▼ -0.88 (-0.92%)
SSGC 40.65 Decreased By ▼ -0.69 (-1.67%)
SYM 14.28 Decreased By ▼ -0.16 (-1.11%)
TELE 7.41 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (0.41%)
TPLP 10.21 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (1.29%)
TRG 67.57 Decreased By ▼ -0.33 (-0.49%)
WAVESAPP 9.99 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.1%)
WTL 1.32 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-1.49%)
YOUW 3.83 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.52%)
BR100 12,502 Increased By 21.5 (0.17%)
BR30 37,864 Decreased By -143.8 (-0.38%)
KSE100 117,009 Increased By 233.1 (0.2%)
KSE30 35,953 Increased By 103.7 (0.29%)

ROME: Italy’s defence minister Thursday said shells fired at the headquarters of the UN’s Lebanon peacekeeping force blamed on Israel “could constitute war crimes” while France and Spain also protested to Israel.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Israeli tank fire on Thursday had wounded two Indonesian Blue Helmets.

“The hostile acts committed and repeated by Israeli forces against the base … could constitute war crimes,” Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told a press conference.

Italy has more than 1,000 troops in the 10,000-strong force in south Lebanon, according to UNIFIL. France has more than 700 soldiers in the force, while Spain has more than 670. About 50 countries contribute to the force.

The defence minister said Italy has asked for an official explanation for the tank fire “because it was not a mistake”.

Italy had summoned the Israeli ambassador but Crosetto said he had not received a satisfactory explanation.

UN inquiry finds Israel of crime of ‘extermination’ in destruction of Gaza health system

France’s foreign ministry said it would also seek “explanations from the Israeli authorities” over the incident. “The protection of UN peacekeepers is an obligation for all parties in a conflict,” it added.

Spain’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns the Israeli firing that hit the UNIFIL headquarters” which it called a “grave violation of international law”.

Thursday’s incident is the most serious reported by UNIFIL since it said last week it had rejected Israeli demands to “relocate” from some positions.

“I told the ambassador to tell the Israeli government that the United Nations and Italy cannot take orders from Israel,” Crosetto said.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said the Italian government “has formally protested to Israeli authorities and has firmly reiterated that what is happening near the UNIFIL contingent base is unacceptable”.

In a statement earlier, Crosetto said he told Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant “that what is happening… starting from the shooting at the UNIFIL headquarters is, for me and for the Italian government, unacceptable”.

He slammed the “shooting” and other incidents involving “small arms fire” – including the deliberate disabling of perimeter-monitoring cameras – as “intolerable” and “in clear contrast to international law”.

“Any possible error that could put the soldiers, both Italian and UNIFIL, at risk must be avoided,” he said, adding that he had sent a “formal communication” to the UN about the issue.

UNIFIL was set up in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces after they invaded Lebanon in reprisal for a Palestinian attack.

It was bolstered by Security Council Resolution 1701 after Hezbollah and Israel fought a war in 2006. Its peacekeepers are tasked with monitoring the ceasefire between the two sides.

Comments

Comments are closed.