Italy today suspended a defense agreement with Israel amid mounting criticism of Israeli strikes in the ongoing war in Lebanon.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the suspension of the longstanding agreement, signed more than two decades ago to increase defense cooperation.
“Take into account the current situation we are experiencing, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel,” Meloni said in Verona, Italy.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 2003 by then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and went into force in 2006. The agreement was subject to automatic renewal every five years.
In response to the suspension, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs minimized the importance of the agreement.
“We do not have a security agreement with Italy. We have had a memorandum of understanding for many years that never had any real substance,” said the Ministry in a statement. “This will not harm Israel’s security.”
Meloni’s government had previously maintained close ties with Israel, even after the beginning of the war in Gaza more than two years ago. But those relations have frayed with increasing Italian criticism of Israel over attacks in Lebanon, which have killed more than 2,000 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.