France, Italy summon Israeli ambassadors after UN peacekeepers struck by Israeli forces

PARIS — France and Italy are demanding answers from Israeli envoys after United Nations peacekeepers in south Lebanon were wounded in separate incidents on Thursday and Friday, amid Israel’s expanding ground invasion of its northern neighbor targeting Hezbollah.

The two countries, which supply large amounts of troops to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon known as UNIFIL, summoned Israel’s ambassadors to their respective capitals in response to incidents in which four peacekeepers were injured, one of whom required hospitalization. No French or Italian troops were wounded.

France’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs condemned the “deliberate” attack on Friday, which it said constitutes a “serious violation of international law.”

The two soldiers who were hurt on Thursday were injured after an Israeli tank fired toward a UNIFIL observation tower. The duo who sustained injuries on Friday were wounded “after two explosions occurred close to an observation tower,” UNIFIL said in a statement.

“This is a serious development, and UNIFIL reiterates that the safety and security of U.N. personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of U.N. premises must be respected at all times,” UNIFIL said, adding that “any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law.”

Italy summoned Israel’s ambassador on Thursday, while France did so on Friday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded on X to both incidents. On Thursday, it noted that Hezbollah operates near both civilian and UNIFIL positions and said it “maintains routine communication with UNIFIL.” Responding to the reports of the two wounded soldiers on Friday, the IDF said in a statement that the incident took place when its soldiers responded to a “threat” located about 50 meters away from a UNIFIL post. The Israeli military added that it had “instructed UNIFIL personnel to enter into protected spaces and remain there.”

But demanding that an international force dedicated to preserving peace in a geopolitical hotspot move to facilitate a military invasion is highly inflammatory. Irish President Michael Higgins called such a move “outrageous,” while Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto on Thursday said the peacekeepers will stay where they are.

“We will never be the ones to move because someone tells us, by force, to move,” Crosetto said.

Other European leaders have responded to the attacks as well. A spokesperson for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters that it was “vital that peacekeepers and civilians are protected” and reiterated London’s call for “an immediate cease-fire.”

“All parties must always do everything possible to protect civilians and comply with international law. But we continue to reiterate that and call for an immediate cease-fire,” the spokesperson added.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also “criticized and condemned the attacks” against the U.N. peace mission earlier on Friday. 

During a press briefing at the European Commission on Friday, EEAS spokesperson Peter Stano said that EU ministers will be discussing the issue during an EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called Israel’s attacks against peacekeepers an “apparent violation of the laws of war,” and urged U.N. member countries to conduct an inquiry into these violations.

Matt Honeycombe-Foster contributed to this report from London.