Ahead of the European Council meeting, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed the escalating Middle East conflict in the Senate, expressing concern over the situation in Lebanon. She criticized Israeli army attacks on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), calling them “unacceptable” and a violation of UN resolution 1701, despite no reported casualties. Meloni emphasized the need to strengthen UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces to ensure the security of Italian soldiers stationed there. She also shared that Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will visit Israel and Palestine, while she plans to visit Lebanon. Italy currently has over 1,000 soldiers in UNIFIL.