ROME: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that her government had decided to suspend the automatic renewal of a defence agreement with Israel, given ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
“In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel”, Meloni was quoted as saying by several Italian news agencies, without giving details of the deal. Meloni was speaking in Verona, on the sidelines of a wine industry fair.
Meloni’s right-wing government has been one of Israel’s closest allies in Europe, but in recent weeks has criticised Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Those affected have included Italian troops serving there under a United Nations mandate.
A defence ministry source said one of the consequences is that Italy will no longer cooperate with Israel on military training.
Meloni took the decision on Monday with her foreign and defence ministers, Antonio Tajani and Guido Crosetto, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A spokesperson for Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. Along with Meloni, British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves also said on Tuesday that she was “very frustrated and angry” over what she said was the United States’ failure to have a clear exit plan or objectives for the war in Iran, according to The Mirror newspaper.
“This is a war that we did not start. It was a war that we did not want. I feel very frustrated and angry that the US went into this war without a clear exit plan, without a clear idea of what they were trying to achieve,” Reeves told the newspaper.
“And as a result, the Strait of Hormuz is now blocked,” she added.
Italy and Britain are part of several Nato countries that have resisted supporting the US military campaign against Iran, denying US military planes use of their airspace or declining to send naval forces to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz for energy tankers.
