The Italian government is committed to “prevent what happened in Gaza from happening in Lebanon, and that there are too many innocent victims”: the Foreign Minister said so Antonio Tajani in his speech to the Chamber, underlining the importance of diplomatic action for conflict resolution. For the Italian government, in the context of the worsening situation in the Middle East, “the priority is the protection of compatriots throughout the region and of our soldiers in Lebanon, engaged in the UNIFIL mission and the bilateral MIBIL training mission”, added Tajani , ensuring that “we are ready to take any initiative to guarantee the safety of our compatriots”.
The Foreign Minister estimated the number of Italians currently in Lebanon at “around 3,200”, “largely dual citizens – Italians and Lebanese – who permanently reside in the country”. “The Farnesina Crisis Unit and our Embassy in Beirut work tirelessly to offer them constant security updates and every possible assistance”.
Meanwhile, Iran declared the attack against Israel “concluded”, after having launched around 180 missiles on the territory of the Jewish State, most of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. During the operation – a retaliation for the killing of the leader of HezbollahHassan Nasrallah – two Israelis were slightly injured by shrapnel and a Palestinian was killed by shrapnel in the West Bank. However, the death toll from a terrorist attack in the Jaffa subway, where two people opened fire on the crowd, is eight dead.
In the night Israel resumed raids in Lebanon against Hezbollah targets which, for its part, claimed to have clashed with Tel Aviv troops who had attempted to “infiltrate the village of Adaysseh”.
Tehran: powerful response if Israel provokes again
“Our action is over unless Israel decides to provoke again. In this case, our response will be stronger and more powerful,” he writes in ‘X’ Seyed Abbas Araghchithe Iranian Foreign Minister. “Iran has made a big mistake and will pay for it”, was the reaction of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. US President Joe Biden said the United States was working with Israel to formulate its response.
Iran will target Israel’s “entire infrastructure” if it is attacked in retaliation for Tuesday’s missile launch, Iranian Army Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri said. “If the Zionist regime, which has gone mad, is not controlled by its American and European financiers and wants to continue these crimes or act against our sovereignty and territorial integrity, the operation like the one tonight will be repeated with greater intensity and all regime infrastructure will be targeted,” General Bagheri told Iranian state television.
Iranian oil facilities are in Israel’s sights as it plans a significant response to yesterday’s missile attack. While the details and timing have yet to be decided, other likely targets include Iran’s air defense system and senior regime figures, according to news site Axios citing Israeli officials.
Bombings on Lebanon during the night
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israeli army, announced during the night that “the air force continues to operate at full capacity and tonight we will continue to strike forcefully in the Middle East as we have been doing for a year”.
The Israeli army then confirmed that it is currently bombing Hezbollah “terrorist targets” in Beirut, after ordering residents of Dahye, a southern suburb of Beirut, to stay away from some areas because they will be hit. An hour earlier, the army’s Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, had called on residents of the area, where many Hezbollah supporters live, to stay more than 500 meters away from two buildings in the Harek Hara neighborhood, identified in red in two aerial photographs. Furthermore, the spokesperson again issued a similar warning, this time asking residents of the Choueifat Al-Amrousieh neighborhood to evacuate, warning of further shelling.