Missile on Italian base in Erbil, soldiers safe. Joint Iran-Hezbollah attack against Israel and tensions in the Gulf

A missile struck the Italian military base in Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, but fortunately there are no casualties among our nationals. This was reported by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, through a message read live on television on Rete4 by the leader of the Green and Left Alliance, Angelo Bonelli. Contacted later by news agencies, the minister reassured that he had personally spoken with the base commander, Colonel Stefano Pizzotti, confirming that all the soldiers are well. The Chief of Defense Staff, General Luciano Portolano, also personally verified the conditions of the contingent by directly contacting the facility in Iraq.

The incident is part of the escalation that is inflaming the entire Middle Eastern chessboard. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran claimed a military operation defined as joint and integrated with Hezbollah against Israel. According to reports from the Tasnim agency, Tehran launched several ballistic missiles, while the Lebanese group fired drones and about one hundred and fifty rockets at over fifty targets in northern Israel. Hezbollah stated that it hit settlements and military bases, claiming to have warned civilians residing within five kilometers of the border to evacuate the area. Meanwhile, the Israeli military response has caused heavy consequences in Lebanon: the local Ministry of Health reported the deaths of eight people in the eastern district of Baalbek and another eight victims in the southern city of Tibnine.

Tension has dangerously spread to the Gulf countries as well. In Iraqi territorial waters, port authorities rescued the twenty crew members of a foreign oil tanker, which was hit by an attack whose nature or authorship is still unclear. At the same time, the Qatar Ministry of Defense announced that Iran launched nine ballistic missiles and several drones into its territory. The armed forces of Doha successfully intercepted all the unmanned aircraft and eight missiles, while the last projectile fell in an uninhabited area without causing any damage.

The rapid unfolding of events has had immediate repercussions on the diplomatic front. The Iranian ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, strongly rejected the latest Security Council resolution, which called on Tehran to immediately cease attacks against Gulf states. The diplomat labeled the document as a politically motivated move and a blatant abuse of the body's mandate, accusing Council members of catering to the objectives of those nations that, in his view, are waging a brutal war of aggression against the Islamic Republic.