Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Friday, October 18, 2024
From the Liveblog of
Friday, October 18, 2024
Italy’s Meloni arrives in Lebanon for visit amid tensions over peacekeepers
Vehicles from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol in Marjayoun in southern Lebanon on October 12, 2024. (AFP)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives in Lebanon, her office says, the first head of state or government to visit since an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah last month.
The leader of Italy — whose peacekeepers play a significant part in the UN force in southern Lebanon that has come been caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hezbollah — arrived at Beirut international airport where she was welcomed by Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, with whom she will have talks before issuing a joint press statement.
