Italy has suspended a defense agreement with Israel, which includes the exchange of military equipment and technology research, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and a diplomatic source said on Tuesday.
"Given the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic extension of the defense agreement with Israel," Prime Minister Meloni said on the sidelines of an event in Verona, according to Italy's ANSA and AGI news agencies, Al Arabiya reported from AFP (14/4).
An Italian diplomatic source confirmed to AFP that the agreement had been suspended, saying: "It would be difficult politically to maintain it."
Approved by Israel in 2006, the agreement is reviewed every five years.
The agreement calls for cooperation across the entire defense industry, military personnel education and training, research and development, and information technology, among others.
It is known that tensions between the two countries have increased over the past week, after the Italian government accused Israeli forces of firing warning shots at an Italian UN peacekeeping convoy in Lebanon.
Italy summoned the Israeli ambassador in a show of protest over the incident which damaged at least one vehicle but caused no injuries.
On Monday, Israel summoned the Italian Ambassador following comments by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemning the "unacceptable attack" on Lebanese civilians by Israeli forces.
Tajani, who is deputy prime minister, was in Beirut on Monday for talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi.
He later wrote on the social media X, he was there to "express Italian solidarity following Israel's unacceptable attack on civilian populations."
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