Italian minister to visit Beirut, pledges support for Lebanon’s stability

Italy's foreign minister said he will visit Beirut to pledge support for Lebanon's stability.

"Italy is ready to do its part for Lebanon's stability," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Thursday after an informal ministerial meeting of MED9 in Split, Croatia.

MED9 is an alliance of nine Mediterranean and southern European Union member states.

Tajani said preparations are underway for the visit and that he will meet Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, according to the ANSA news agency.

He added that Italian troops are deployed in Lebanon under both multinational and bilateral missions to support the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Tajani also referred to an incident involving a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) vehicle, which was hit by Israeli army warning fire without causing injuries.

Following the incident, Tajani said he summoned the Israeli ambassador to Italy on Wednesday.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also condemned the incident, calling on Israel to end its offensive in Lebanon, saying the attacks have "caused too many deaths and an unacceptable number of displaced people."

The latest developments come as Israeli attacks on Lebanon have intensified despite ongoing diplomatic efforts linked to a two-week ceasefire announced Tuesday by the US and Iran and brokered by Pakistan.

While Pakistani mediators and Tehran said the truce also covers Lebanon, Washington and Tel Aviv have denied this.

The Israeli army has intensified attacks across Lebanon since Wednesday, killing at least 303 people and injuring 1,150 others, according to the Lebanese Civil Defense.

The expanded Israeli offensive on Lebanon since March 2 has killed 1,888 people and wounded 6,092 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.