ROME: The UN peacekeeping mission to Lebanon is vital to ending war in the region and needs to be strengthened, not withdrawn from combat zones as Israel has demanded, Italy’s defense minister said on Thursday.

The UN mission known as UNIFIL is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the demarcation line with Israel — an area that has seen fierce clashes this month between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

Israel has said the UN forces are providing a human shield for Hezbollah and has fired at the UNIFIL bases repeatedly over the past week, injuring several peacekeepers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says UNIFIL should temporarily “get out of harm’s way.”

Italy has long been a major contributor to the multi-national operation and has denounced Israel for its actions, straining relations between two nations, which have been very close under Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s leadership.

“Israel needs to understand that these (UN) soldiers are not working for any one side. They are there to help maintain peace and promote regional stability,” Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told parliament on Thursday.

He said the resolution establishing the UNIFIL mandate was last revised in 2006 and needed updating.

“UNIFIL is a complex mission with a mandate that is difficult to implement, has inadequate rules of engagement and forces that are not equipped for the current conflict,” he said.