Italy has suspended the automatic renewal of its military cooperation agreement with Israel, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Tuesday.
While Meloni’s right-wing administration has historically been one of Israel’s strongest European allies, tensions have risen following recent Israeli strikes in Lebanon. These attacks have impacted Italian troops serving under a United Nations mandate.
"Given the current situation, the government has decided to halt the automatic renewal of our defence agreement with Israel," Meloni stated during a visit to Verona.
According to a Defence Ministry source, this decision means Italy will stop all joint military training exercises with Israel. The move was finalized on Monday following a high-level meeting between Meloni, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has not yet issued a formal response to the announcement.
