Italy PM in Beirut to discuss reducing tensions in southern Lebanon

Beirut: Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati yesterday met with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni to discuss reducing tensions in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese Prime Minister’s Media Office said in a statement that Mikati held talks with Meloni at the government palace in Beirut.

During her first official visit to Lebanon, Meloni is scheduled to inspect the Italian battalion working as part of the international peacekeeping forces in the south.

Deputy Minister of State, Giovanbattista Fazzolari, and the Italian Ambassador to Beirut, Nicoletta Bombardiere, also took part in the talks.

Earlier yesterday, the Italian Nova news agency reported that Meloni reaffirmed her country’s commitment to supporting Lebanon’s stability.

Meloni also stressed the need to avoid the risk of escalation along the border with Israel and expressed her support for any initiative aimed at an immediate truce, according to the news agency.