Italy summons Israeli envoy after UNIFIL vehicle hit in Lebanon

Italy on Wednesday summoned Israel’s ambassador following an incident in Lebanon in which an Italian UN peacekeepers' vehicle was damaged by Israeli warning shots.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, in a post on the US social media company X, said he had "just instructed the Israeli ambassador to Italy to be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify what happened today in Lebanon," stressing that "the Italian military will remain untouched."

The move came after Tajani told parliament on Wednesday that an Italian UNIFIL convoy was hit during escalating hostilities.

"Israeli warning shots damaged one of our vehicles; fortunately, no injuries were reported, but the convoy had to return," he said, according to ANSA news agency, adding that the convoy had been carrying personnel to Beirut for repatriation.

Tajani also warned of intensifying Israeli operations, saying there had been “the most violent Israeli bombing since the resumption of the war, with 150 aircraft reportedly engaged across Lebanon.”