World

Italy Proposes Creating Buffer Zone on Lebanon's Border With Israel

ROME (Sputnik) - Italy proposes creating a buffer zone with a reinforced contingent of UN peacekeepers on the border of Lebanon with Israel, said Italian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani after visiting Palestine and Israel on Monday.
Sputnik
According to Tajani, during talks with his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he stated the need to respect the inviolability of Italian servicemen of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and outlined the Italian solution to the crisis.
"Strengthening the Lebanese army, which is already being trained by the Italian contingent in the port of Beirut, elections of the president of the Republic of Lebanon and the creation of a UNIFIL buffer zone with more people and more powers, with different rules of engagement between the border with Israel and the Litani River and to the north," Tajani told Italian media.
World
UN Peacekeepers Refuse to Abandon Positions in Southern Lebanon Despite Israeli Requests
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon, against the backdrop of the Israeli operation in the south of the country, has repeatedly reported attacks against its positions by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). According to the peacekeepers, the Israeli military fired at strongholds, including two Italian bases, and the main headquarters of the Interim Force, and also violated the Blue Line. Representatives of the Italian leadership have repeatedly called Israel's actions unacceptable.
Since October 1, Israel has been conducting a ground operation against Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon and continues aerial bombardment of the neighboring country, where more than 2,000 people have already been killed, including leaders of the Shia movement, with more than a million people becoming refugees. Despite losses, including in the command staff, Hezbollah is waging ground battles and does not stop rocket attacks on Israeli territory.
The main goal of the military campaign in Israel is said to be the creation of conditions for the return of 60,000 residents of the north who were evacuated due to shelling launched by Hezbollah a year ago in support of Palestinian movement Hamas.
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