ROME: Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto on Friday pledged his country’s support for Lebanon, which he described as “a key hub for stability in the Mediterranean area.”
During a meeting in Beirut with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Crosetto said: “In this difficult time, we need even greater commitment to peace and regional security from everybody so that the situation does not escalate.”
Crosetto also visited the nearly 1,000 Italian soldiers deployed as part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.
He arrived in Beirut a few hours before Israeli jets bombed Lebanon and the Gaza Strip after rocket attacks that Tel Aviv blamed on the Palestinian group Hamas.
Those rocket attacks followed Israeli police raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which this year coincides with the Jewish Passover holiday.
Crosetto said the Lebanese Armed Forces “are essential for stability and security. Italy will continue to provide them with its support.”
He discussed the current tensions between Israel and Lebanon with his Lebanese counterpart Maurice Slim.
According to a source in the Italian Defense Ministry, Slim said the Lebanese military “is ready to face all kinds of aggression,” and described the latest developments as “a direct threat to the security and stability of the south of Lebanon.”
