Italy suspends defense agreement with Israeli counterpart

Italian Government Freezes Automatic Renewal of Defence Cooperation Deal with Israel

The Italian government has announced that it is suspending the automatic renewal of a defence cooperation agreement with Israel. The decision was made by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who stated that the suspension would be in view of the current situation.

The agreement, which was approved by Israel in 2006, involves the exchange of military equipment and technology research, as well as cooperation across education and training of military personnel, research and development, and information technology. The agreement is renewed automatically every five years.

According to reports, tensions between Italy and Israel have risen in recent weeks due to criticism from the Italian government of Israeli attacks on Lebanon. On Tuesday, Meloni announced that the automatic renewal would be suspended, citing the current situation as the reason for the decision.

There was no immediate reaction from the Israeli government following the announcement. The incident comes after Italy summoned Israel’s ambassador in protest over an incident involving Israeli forces firing warning shots at a convoy of Italian peacekeepers in Lebanon.

Source: Al Jazeera