The Italian government announced on Friday that 4 Italian soldiers were slightly injured during a new "attack" on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), holding Hezbollah responsible.

Later, the UNIFIL force reported that the soldiers were injured by the firing of "two 122 mm rockets" at the headquarters of the Western Sector in the town of Shama, suggesting that Hezbollah, which has been engaged in clashes with Israel in the town since last week, was responsible for the launch of the rockets. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement: "I have learned with great dismay and concern that new attacks have targeted the Italian headquarters of the UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon and have injured Italian soldiers." She added: "These attacks are unacceptable and I reiterate my call to ensure the security of UNIFIL soldiers at all times, and to cooperate to quickly identify those responsible for the attack." Meloni did not indicate a specific party that launched the attack, but her Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani pointed the finger at Hezbollah, telling reporters in Turin in the north of the country: "They are apparently two rockets, also fired by Hezbollah."

"Four Italian soldiers were slightly injured after two 122mm shells exploded and hit a base housing the Italian battalion and UNIFIL's Western Sector Command in Shamaa," the Italian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"I will try to speak to the new Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, which has been impossible since he took office, to ask him to avoid using UNIFIL bases," the statement quoted Defense Minister Guido Crosetto as saying.

Hezbollah claimed in a statement that it had targeted "a gathering of Israeli army forces in the town of Shamaa" with a barrage of rockets on Friday morning.

In a later statement, UNIFIL said the two rockets were "most likely fired by Hezbollah or its affiliated groups," adding that the attack was the "third" on its base in Shama within a week.

It urged "warring parties to avoid fighting close to their positions" and "to respect the sanctity of UN premises and personnel at all times".

The UN force recorded more than 30 incidents in October that resulted in material damage or injuries to soldiers, including about 20 that resulted from Israeli gunfire or actions.

UNIFIL has been deployed in Lebanon since 1978, and its personnel are tasked with ensuring respect for the Blue Line drawn by the United Nations between Lebanon and Israel following the Israeli army's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.

Italy is the largest contributor to this force (1,068 soldiers according to the United Nations), followed by Spain, France and Ireland.