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By Angelo Amante
ROME, April 8 (Reuters) - Italy summoned the Israeli ambassador on Wednesday to demand an explanation over shots fired at an Italian convoy in a U.N. mission in Lebanon, the foreign minister said, warning Israeli forces had "no authority to touch" Rome's troops.
The U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along a demarcation line with Israel - an area that has seen major clashes between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.
"Israeli warning shots have damaged one of our vehicles; fortunately, no one was injured," Antonio Tajani told a question session in the lower house of parliament. He later wrote on X that he had ordered that the Israeli ambassador be summoned.
A defence ministry statement said the Italian logistics convoy was travelling from Shama to Beirut on Wednesday when, about 2 km after departure, the Israeli military fired warning shots. The convoy immediately stopped and returned to base, it said.
The incident came as Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with militant group Hezbollah broke out early last month, saying a ceasefire suspending the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran did not apply to Lebanon.
"Endangering convoys clearly identified with the UN flag cannot be tolerated. This is serious behavior that risks compromising the safety of peacekeepers and the credibility of the mission itself," Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said.
Crosetto called on the United Nations to urgently engage with Israeli authorities to clarify what happened and to "adopt all necessary measures to guarantee the safety of the Italian contingent and all UNIFIL personnel."
UNIFIL comprised about 7,500 peacekeepers as of March 30, according to the mission's website, and Italy is one of the main contributors with more than 750 soldiers deployed.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Gavin Jones and Ros Russell)
