BRUSSELS

Italy is organizing the return of troops stationed at its military base in Erbil, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Thursday, noting that the withdrawal of the remaining contingent had already been planned before a missile struck the facility.

"A missile hit our base in Erbil. There are no casualties or injuries among the Italian personnel. They are all safe," Crosetto said, cited by ANSA news agency.

Crosetto noted that Italy had already begun reducing its military presence in the region due to security concerns.

According to the minister, 102 personnel have already returned to Italy, while about 40 others have been relocated to Jordan.

"A return of the current 141 was already being planned," he said, explaining that the operation is logistically complex because troops cannot be flown out directly and will likely need to leave by land, probably via Türkiye.

The minister added that authorities had anticipated the possibility of an attack and had implemented security measures in advance.

"By 8:30, we had implemented all the security conditions, so everyone had entered the protected areas, so there was no damage to the contingent," he said.

The base in Erbil in northern Iraq hosts several US military and diplomatic facilities and is part of a NATO presence in the region, according to Crosetto.

When asked whether the attack on the Italian military base was a deliberate one, he told public television RAI: "Absolutely, that's a NATO base and it's also American."

The attack came as the US and Israel continued airstrikes on Iran that began Feb. 28, killing more than 1,300 people and injuring over 10,000 others.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.