- Rome has criticized Israel's attacks on Lebanon.
- Tension with Israel increased after shots fired near Italian troops.
- The opposition had requested the suspension.
ROME: Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday that her government had suspended a defense cooperation agreement with Israel, reflecting frayed ties between previously close allies as conflicts in the Middle East continue.
Meloni's right-wing government has been one of Israel's closest friends in Europe, but in recent weeks it has criticized its attacks on Lebanon, which have killed hundreds and injured thousands.
Israel also fired warning shots last week at Italian troops serving in Lebanon under a UN mandate, causing damage to a vehicle.
“In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel,” Meloni said during a visit to Verona, northern Italy.
A source close to the matter, who requested anonymity, said Meloni made the decision on Monday with his foreign and defense ministers, Antonio Tajani and Guido Crosetto, as well as deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini.
A spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry declined to comment.
The opposition had requested the suspension
Meloni's announcement came as a surprise because it marked a shift from a previously cautious stance on Israel. The opposition had asked the government to suspend the agreement.
“We have been calling for this for some time, along with other progressive forces,” said center-left Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein, adding that Italy should also support the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
Italy's memorandum with Israel, signed in 2003 by the government of then Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, came into force in 2006 and is subject to automatic renewals every five years unless one of the parties withdraws.
It envisages Israeli-Italian cooperation to “increase their respective defense capabilities” and covers fields including the acquisition, training and “import, export and transit of military and defense equipment.”
As diplomatic tensions rose, Rome last week summoned Israel's ambassador to protest the incident involving Italian troops in Lebanon, and then on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government summoned the Italian ambassador “to discuss the situation in Lebanon.”
