Body of Italian Peacekeeping Troop Found in Force Base in the South

The body of an Italian peacekeeping troop was found inside the Italian force's base in the southern town of al-Shamaa, UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti announced on Tuesday.

"The body of an Italian soldier was discovered early at dawn on Tuesday in the base where he served in al-Shamaa village,” Tenenti said, without providing the deceased troop's names.

"Investigation is ongoing in cooperation with Lebanese authorities to unveil the circumstances behind the incident,” he assured.

UNIFIL Major-General Luciano Portolano, meanwhile, offered his “deepest condolences to the Italian cabinet and to the deceased soldier's family.”

"He was dedicated and respected and he worked hard with the Italian force in its implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701,” Portolano said.

Italy is one of the main troop contributors to UNIFIL, a multinational force established in 1978 to monitor the border between Lebanon and Israel. It consists of 10,200 soldiers.

S.D.B.

M.T.