Rome – Guido Crosetto, the defence minister of Italy, promised support for Lebanon on Friday, calling it “a key hub for stability in the Mediterranean area”.
Crosetto stated: “In this difficult time, we need even greater commitment to peace and regional security from everyone to prevent the situation from escalating” during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut.
Crosetto also paid a visit to the almost 1,000 Italian troops serving in Lebanon as part of the UN Interim Force.
A few hours before Israeli jets bombarded Lebanon and the Gaza Strip in response to rocket launches that Tel Aviv attributed to the Palestinian organisation Hamas, he arrived in Beirut.
Following Israeli police raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which this year falls on the Jewish holiday of Passover, came the rocket attacks.
The Lebanese Armed Forces, according to Crosetto, “are crucial for stability and security. They will continue to receive backing from Italy.
He spoke with his colleague from Lebanon, Maurice Slim, on the present hostilities between Israel and Lebanon.
The current events, according to Slim, are “a direct threat to the security and stability of the south of Lebanon,” and the Lebanese military is “ready to face all kinds of aggression,” according to a source in the Italian Defense Ministry.
