Khaberni - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that her government "decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel, given the current situation".
Meloni added that the decision was made "in light of the current circumstances", during her talk with journalists while visiting an exhibition in the city of Verona, according to what was reported by the Italian news agency "ANSA".
Meloni did not provide additional details regarding the nature or duration of the decision.
Last week, the Italian government summoned the Israeli ambassador after announcing that Israeli forces had fired warning shots at a convoy of Italian soldiers belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Southern Lebanon (UNIFIL), causing damage to at least one vehicle, without any injuries.
Israel also summoned the Italian ambassador on Monday, to protest statements by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani who condemned during a visit to Beirut "unacceptable attacks" carried out by Israel on civilians in Lebanon, according to an Italian diplomatic source.
As a senior figure in Giorgia Meloni's government, Tajani visited Beirut on Monday for talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Foreign Minister Yusef Rahji.
Tajani wrote on the "X" platform that he visited Lebanon "to express Italy's solidarity following the unacceptable Israeli attacks on civilians", and called for dialogue between Lebanon and Israel, and for a "necessary and permanent ceasefire", adding "we must avoid a similar escalation to what happened in Gaza at any cost".
