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ROME, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Italy is against United States' unilateral military action in Somalia, Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said on Tuesday.

In a foreign ministry statement, D'Alema reiterated "Italy's opposition to unilateral initiatives which could spark new tensions in an area already characterized by severe instability."

Italy believes international institutions should intensify efforts to encourage peace within Somalia and also between Somalia and countries bordering it, the statement said.

According to local media reports, the Pentagon has confirmed that the United States conducted a strike in Somalia targeting senior al-Qaida figures.

Somali government sources have also reported that an AC-130 plane carried out raids in the remote village of Hayo late on Monday. Many people are said to have been killed but there has not been any independent confirmation of this.

U.S. warplanes reportedly struck at the same spot again on Tuesday as part of the efforts to neutralize al-Qaida operatives that Washington believes to be hiding in the area.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern that airstrikes launched by the United States in Somalia over the weekend may result in an escalation of hostilities, his spokeswoman Michele Montas said on Tuesday.

The UN chief is also concerned about the impact on civilians in southern Somalia and regrets the reported loss of civilian lives, Montas told a press briefing.

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