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TRANSCRIPT:
Earlier this week, Italian troops who are part of the UN's peacekeeping contingent in Lebanon were forced to turn back, after the Israeli military fired warning shots at the group.
The incident happened as Israel carried out a massive air attack on suspected Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, part of their ongoing campaign against the Iranian-backed militant group.
Italy's Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, is outraged.
"Luckily, no one was injured, but the convoy had to go back to base. As soon as I will leave this chamber, I will ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to seek immediate information from the Israeli ambassador to Italy on what happened and what has caused the damage of an Italian military vehicle."
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon - or UNIFIL - has about 10,000 peacekeepers from 46 nations, and they've been in Lebanon in some form since 1978 to maintain stability on the border with Israel and protect civilians.
Italian soldiers comprise the second-largest contingent in the peacekeeping force [[after Indonesian personnel]].
And they're not the first troops to come under fire.
Deputy spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Farhan Haq, says the Israel Defence Forces briefly detained a UNIFIL peacekeeper this week after blocking a logistics convoy, and that this was not the only example of conflict.
“Yesterday, the impact from an exchange of rocket and artillery fire near At Tiri in Sector West resulted in injuries to six peacekeepers, including one shrapnel wound and five cases of acoustic trauma, as well as damage to UN vehicles."
Even buildings have come under attack.
UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel says Israeli forces destroyed 17 surveillance cameras linked to the United Nations peacekeepers’ main headquarters in southern Lebanon, situated in the coastal town of Naqoura.
She says the violence became physical in March, when three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed in two separate incidents.
"On Sunday night, a projectile hit one of our bases near Adchit al-Qusayr, and two peacekeepers who were nearby were very seriously injured. One of them, unfortunately, succumbed to his injuries later that night... The next day, on Monday morning, a vehicle that was travelling near Bani Hayyan was hit by an explosion, and two peacekeepers were tragically killed."
Israel's UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, says none of these incidents are deliberate.
He says Israel is coordinating closely with UNIFIL to reduce risk, accusing Hezbollah of exploiting UNIFIL's presence.
"On the 22nd of March, Israel sent a formal letter to UNIFIL warning - the head of the Northern Command sent that letter directly to UNIFIL, warning that the vicinity of the area was dangerous. We saw it coming, unfortunately, and we made clear that Hezbollah was deliberately operating near UN positions and placing them in the direct line of fire. We notified UNIFIL so they would be aware of this risk and take precautions."
Indonesia's Ambassador to the UN however says the danger stems from repeated incursions by the Israeli military into the territory of Lebanon.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says preliminary findings from its inquiry shows one of the Indonesian peacekeepers was killed by an Israeli tank projectile, and the other two by an improvised explosive device most likely placed by Hezbollah.
Ambassador Umar Hadi says member states are now calling for stronger protections.
"We recall that peacekeepers must never be the target of attack; and that attacks on them are prohibited while they enjoy protection under international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions; and may constitute a war crime.”
