General · 14 April 2026
Italy halts Israel defence deal, deepening allies' rift
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Italian Government via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0 IT)
It deepens tensions between two former close allies. Italy has stopped the automatic renewal of its defence agreement with Israel, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on 14 April in Verona, citing the current situation in the Middle East. The pact, signed in 2003 and active since 2006, covered training, procurement and military equipment exchanges, and had renewed every five years unless withdrawn.
Reported by Al Jazeera · How we write briefs