'Hands off Italian soldiers' says Tajani

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 11 - Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Friday spoke out for the safety of Italian soldiers after the Israeli army on Thursday hit Italian UNIFIL bases in southern Lebanon.
    "Hands off Italian soldiers, they are not Hezbollah militants", said Tajani, speaking in Turin where he was attending a meeting with Regional Governor Alberto Cirio and associations of category on the economic impact of the Frejus landslide and the closure of the Mont-Blanc tunnel.
    "No Italian soldiers were injured in the attacks on the UNIFIL bases", said Tajani.
    "Italian soldiers are safe, but we don't want the situation to deteriorate", he added.
    Tajani went on to say that Italian military personnel deployed with UNIFIL - including about 1,200 soldiers - "have always guaranteed with great respect for the rules, working for peace, a situation that would also enable the Israeli civilian population to be safeguarded.
    "They did their duty, we stand by them, we are following what is going on minute by minute", added the foreign minister. (ANSA).