The Italian Prime Minister officially announces the suspension of the military cooperation agreement with Israel
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that her country is suspending its defense agreement with Israel in light of current developments.
This came in press statements on Tuesday, in which Meloni said that the government has decided, in light of the current situation, to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel.
In another context, Meloni described US President Donald Trump’s remarks about Pope Leo XIV as unacceptable.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on Pope Leo XIV for criticizing the policies of the US administration, particularly the war on Iran and immigration.
On the other hand, the Italian news agency ANSA reported that Defense Minister Guido Crosetto sent a letter to his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, stating that the defense agreement concerning military cooperation between the two countries was being suspended.
The agreement includes the exchange of military equipment and technological research, and has been renewed every five years since it came into effect on April 13, 2016.
Relations between Italy and Israel have recently become strained following the Israeli army’s firing of warning shots at convoys belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which includes Italian soldiers, in incidents that occurred on April 8 and 12.
Following the April 8 incident, Deputy Prime Minister and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ordered the summoning of Israeli Ambassador to Rome Jonathan Peled to the Foreign Ministry.
Tajani’s statements during his visit to Beirut, in which he affirmed his country’s solidarity with Lebanon in the face of attacks targeting civilians, also angered the Israeli side, which in turn summoned the Italian ambassador in Tel Aviv, Luca Ferrari, on Monday.
