Italy suspends automatic renewal of defense agreement with Israel

Italy has suspended the automatic renewal of its defense agreement with Israel, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Tuesday.

"In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel,” the ANSA news agency reported, citing Meloni's talk with reporters in the northeastern city of Verona.

She further said international efforts should continue to advance peace negotiations in order to stabilize the situation in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Meloni also urged caution regarding Russian gas.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid described Italy’s decision as a “new embarrassing failure” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in managing international relations.

Meloni “is not a progressive left-wing European leader, but part of the conservative right and understands the need to fight terrorism,” he wrote on the US social media company X, adding that this underscores the significance of the decision.

“The government has failed to advance Israel’s interests even with those who are supposed to be natural friends and allies,” he added.

Tensions between Italy and Israel have escalated in recent days after Israeli forces fired warning shots toward convoys of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which includes Italian troops, in two incidents on April 8 and 12.

Following one of the incidents, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani summoned Israel’s ambassador to Rome, Jonathan Peled.

In response, Israel summoned Italy’s ambassador to Tel Aviv, Luca Ferrari, after comments by Tajani during a visit to Beirut in which he expressed solidarity with Lebanon over attacks targeting civilians.

The defense agreement, whose renewal the government decided to suspend, has been in force since 2016.

Intending to enhance defense capabilities, the agreement focuses on cooperation across several sectors, ranging from defense industries to procurement policies, with responsibility for the defense ministries.

It includes the import, export, and transit of weapons, the organization of armed forces, the training and education of military personnel, and the exchange of knowledge and technical data.