'Israel-Lebanon-Iran must be convinced against escalation'- Tajani

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 20 - Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Friday said he believes there is still room to prevent an escalation in the Middle East.
    "I believe there is still an open crack to prevent an escalation in the region, it is necessary to convince Israel, Lebanon as well as Iran to lower tension", Tajani told Radio 24 after meeting on Thursday night with US, French and British counterparts in Paris to discuss developments in the Middle East.
    "All sides must prevent an escalation", he added.
    Tajani noted that the statements made by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah "are harsh against Israel but don't announce an immediate reaction, which means there is still time to find a solution to reduce tension", stressing that the "final objective is the ceasefire in the West Bank and Gaza".
    Nasrallah pledged that "retribution will come" to Israel after attacks on Hezbollah's pagers and walkie-talkies.
    The foreign minister went on to say there are no immediate threats for Italian soldiers in Lebanon.
    "We have been advising for weeks against any trip to Lebanon" Tajani went on to say, adding that, if needed, the return of Italian citizens who are not permanent residents in Lebanon would be organized, stressing that Italian military personnel in the country are "not deployed in war operations.
    "For the moment, there are no great risks for our military" at the border between Israel and Lebanon and in Beirut.
    Italy has over 1,000 members of the military deployed with UNIFIL while approximately 200 others are in Beirut as part of the Italian Bilateral Military Mission in Lebanon (MIBIL).
    (ANSA).