Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urgently convened a conference call with G7 leaders in response to the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
On Wednesday, the countries strongly condemned Iran’s attack on Israel. The leaders agreed to work together to reduce regional tensions, starting with the implementation of UN Resolution 2735 in Gaza and Resolution 1701 to stabilise the Israel-Lebanon border, according to the statement.
In expressing strong concern for the escalation of these last hours – the statement continues – it was reiterated that a conflict on a regional scale is in no one’s interest and that a diplomatic solution is still possible.
The Italian government called on the UN Security Council to consider strengthening the mandate of the UNIFIL mission to provide security along the border between Israel and Lebanon.
UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, deployed along the border since 2006, includes 1,200 Italian soldiers out of a total of 10,500. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto stated that Italy was ready to reconsider its decision regarding the deployment of its troops, but added that “the presence of UN soldiers is the only essential factor in preventing direct conflict.”
If it’s not UN forces in southern Lebanon right now, it will be Israeli soldiers, and the difference is clear to everyone.
Spain deploys military planes for evacuations
Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said on Wednesday that Madrid would send two military planes to Beirut to evacuate Spaniards living in Lebanon.
The government is launching an operation tomorrow [Thursday] to send two planes to evacuate the personnel and, the following day, to send another plane because nationals from other countries have asked us for this possibility.
According to Spanish sources, some 380 of the 1,000 Spaniards living in the country expressed a desire to leave Lebanon. Madrid is also considering sending a fourth military aircraft to possibly evacuate citizens of other nationalities who wish to leave Lebanon.
In addition to the nearly 1,000 Spanish civilians in southern Lebanon, 650 Spanish troops are stationed there as part of UNIFIL.
Bulgaria reinforces preventive security
Caretaker Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov said at a briefing on Wednesday that Bulgaria would increase preventive security at some locations in response to recent events in the Middle East. Additional security measures have been taken for the Israeli diplomatic mission and other facilities related to the diplomatic mission to ensure the safety of the personnel and the areas where they are located.
We have increased security measures at other locations, but this is dictated by the preventive element.
Caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev convened the Security Council on Wednesday afternoon over the recent escalation in the region. The National Security Advisory Council, convened by President Rumen Radev, would meet to discuss the same issue on Friday.
Some 170 Bulgarians and their families were evacuated from Lebanon on two government-organised evacuation flights earlier this week. On Wednesday, Bulgaria reiterated its call for de-escalation in the region, while the Foreign Ministry condemned Iran’s missile strikes on Israel.
