Italy’s Meloni tells Israel’s Netanyahu attacks on UN peacekeepers are unacceptable

ROME (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has told her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that attacks on U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon are unacceptable, her office said on Sunday.

“Prime Minister Meloni reiterated the unacceptability of UNIFIL being attacked by Israeli armed forces,” the Italian government said in a statement.

Italy is a significant contributor to the U.N. mission known as UNIFIL.

In a phone conversation with Netanyahu, Meloni also called for the “full implementation” of the UN’s Security Council Resolution 1701 on Lebanon and stressed the urgent need for a de-escalation of conflict in the region, her office said.

(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, Editing by Hugh Lawson)