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Italy is ready to provide diplomatic support for a newly signed Israel-Lebanon framework agreement and could contribute troops to a future international mission after the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Saturday, as Lebanese state media reported a new Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon.
Speaking at a news conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where he was attending an international forum and the MED-9 summit, Tajani described the agreement as "certainly a step forward," while warning that it would take time for the situation to stabilize.
"It is important that the goal of signing has already been achieved," Tajani said.
He said Italy was prepared to "provide diplomatic support" and "play a role with our armed forces, with an international mission after UNIFIL."
The remarks came as Lebanon's state-run National News Agency, or NNA, said an Israeli drone struck an area in southern Lebanon on Saturday despite the framework agreement reached in Washington between Lebanon and Israel.
Tajani said he had spoken with Italy's embassy in Beirut and that the initial signals following the agreement were positive.
"Now we need to translate the agreement into practical action," he said.
The Italian foreign minister said Italy, together with France, could play "a significant role" in rebuilding Lebanon, including strengthening its institutions to better guarantee the country's sovereignty.
Regarding the possibility of a post-UNIFIL mission, Tajani said any international deployment would have to be based on a multilateral agreement.
He said participation by Arab and Gulf countries should not be ruled out.
Commenting on Hezbollah, Tajani said the agreement was unlikely to benefit the group because it could ultimately reduce its influence and lead to its disarmament.
"We need to see whether Iran will favor the agreement or not. That is the issue. However, the agreement reached in Washington is certainly not a victory for Hezbollah," Tajani said.
"Hezbollah cannot continue to play a military role outside Lebanese institutional legality; it has always represented a threat to peace, but also a threat to Lebanon," he added.
NNA said the Israeli drone targeted an intersection near Farah Amusement Park in the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in Nabatieh Governorate.
No casualties were immediately reported.
In a separate incident, NNA said Israeli forces advanced toward the outskirts of Kfar Shouba in the Hasbaya district while opening fire with medium and heavy machine guns.
The incidents occurred despite the framework agreement reached at the end of the fifth round of U.S.-sponsored negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Washington on Friday.
The agreement focuses on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory and the deployment of the Lebanese army in areas currently occupied by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon, with some areas under occupation for decades and others seized during the 2023-2024 war.
Since March 2, 2026, Israel's military campaign in Lebanon has killed 4,243 people, injured 12,186 others, and displaced more than 1 million people, according to official Lebanese figures.
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