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France and Italy have issued a warning about the "grave crisis in Lebanon" and the risks to the UN peacekeeping mission in the south of the country, after three Indonesian personnel were killed in explosions.
A joint statement by French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin and Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, published on Tuesday, expressed "deep and profound concern" over recent incidents in the area.
The ministers discussed the deaths of the Indonesian Unifil members in two separate incidents. They are the first casualties from the peacekeeping force of more than 10,000 soldiers since Israel and Hezbollah renewed hostilities on March 2. The UN has not yet said who was responsible for the blasts.
Ms Vautrin and Mr Crosetto "forcefully emphasised the unacceptability of such incidents and the increasing risks faced by the personnel deployed in the mission", the statement added. "They confirmed that Italy and France will continue to operate in close co-ordination to ensure the safety of international personnel, the protection of peace and the support to Lebanese authorities."
On Saturday, French Unifil members were the targets of three incidents involving Israeli troops, French broadcaster BFM TV reported on Tuesday. No injuries were reported.
In the first incident, Israeli soldiers reportedly pointed their weapons at Unifil Chief of Staff Maj Gen Paul Sanzey and his assistant. Israeli soldiers later allegedly opened fire on a logistics convoy organised by French troops. In the evening, an Israeli tank was reported to have fired at a Unifil unit. The National has reached out to the peacekeeping force for comment.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X late on Monday that he requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss Unifil. He condemned "serious incidents" suffered by French personnel near the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura, but did not provide further details.
"These violations of security and these intimidations by soldiers of the Israeli army against UN personnel are unacceptable and unjustifiable, all the more so since deconfliction procedures had been respected," Mr Barrot said on X. "These condemnations were conveyed in the strongest possible terms to the ambassador of Israel in Paris [Joshua Zarka]."
Unifil is in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the demarcation line with Israel – an area at the heart of clashes between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.
Lebanon was hit by Israeli strikes after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, two days after the start of the Iran war. Hezbollah's attack prompted a new Israeli ground offensive. More than 1,240 people have been killed in strikes on Lebanon, the country's authorities have said. They include more than 120 children, nearly 80 women and dozens of paramedics.
