Italian foreign minister to discuss new initiatives on Gaza with Western countries

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Thursday that he will discuss possible new peace initiatives for Gaza with five Western nations, known as the Quint group.

The Quint is an informal decision-making group consisting of the U.S., UK, France, Germany, and Italy.

"We are worried about the crescendo of the situation in the Middle East. Tonight, I will be in Paris to assess the situation. The five countries will meet and let's see if new initiatives can be adopted," Tajani told reporters in Rome.

"We continue working together for peace, a cease-fire, and the release of hostages," he added.

Tajani also said he is not concerned about Italian soldiers stationed in southern Lebanon as part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

"It's a peace mission; I don't see any risk," he said. "They are not the ones being targeted; the problem is between Hezbollah and Israel. We are following the situation with great attention and concern. We expect to hold many meetings during UN week," he added.

UN week will begin on Sept. 23.

Lebanese group Hezbollah accused Israel of being behind the device explosions and vowed retaliation.

There has been no Israeli comment on the blasts, which came amid an escalation in cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Israel's deadly war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,300 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.