Rome responded to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s comments
Italy on Wednesday responded to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s comments that hundreds of US aircraft had taken off from US bases in Italy to support military operations against Iran, insisting that Rome had only authorized technical and logistical flights and not direct combat activities.The dispute erupted after Rutte told Fox News that about 500 American planes had left American bases in Italy to support “Operation Epic Fury,” the name Washington gave to its military campaign it is waging alongside Israel against Iran.His statements sparked a political storm in Italy, as the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni repeatedly stressed that it did not allow Italian territory to be used to carry out direct military action against Iran.
Italy says only logistical support has been approved
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said in a statement that the government acted in full compliance with the country’s constitution and international treaties and agreements governing allied military bases.“As has already been clarified in Parliament, the government has allowed exclusively technical, logistical and non-kinetic activities,” Crosetto said, according to what was reported by Reuters.He added that Italy rejected requests that exceed those limits.
Crosetto also criticized Rutte’s comments, saying the NATO Secretary General conveyed a “completely misleading message” by confusing authorized support flights with combat operations.Italy hosts about 120 US military installations, including Naval Air Base Sigonella in Sicily and Aviano Air Base in northern Italy.
NATO clarifies Rutte’s statements
In response to the controversy, a NATO official said Rutte was merely highlighting how allies, including Italy, are implementing existing bilateral agreements on military bases and over-fly permissions.Rutte said European allies have quietly made their bases available to support US operations even if they have avoided publicly emphasizing their role due to domestic political sensitivities.“If you look at Italy, you’ll find that 500 American planes took off from American bases in Italy to support Epic Fury. That’s huge,” Rutte told Fox News.
Political pressure on Meloni is mounting
Opposition parties took advantage of the controversy and demanded new clarifications from the government.Former prime minister and Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte Meloni called for the issue to be clarified in parliament, while Nicola Fratoianni of the Greens and Left alliance said the government had misled lawmakers or Rutte had “suffered heatstroke.”Opposition leaders said Rutte’s comments appeared to contradict repeated government assertions that Italy was not involved in the military campaign against Iran.The dispute comes amid already tense relations between Meloni and US President Donald Trump.Tensions escalated after Italy refused to support the US military campaign against Iran.
Fallout from the Trump-Melloni feud
The latest controversy comes on the heels of a public exchange between Trump and Meloni over Italy’s position during the Iranian conflict.Trump recently criticized Italy for refusing to provide unrestricted access to Italian airports and military infrastructure during the conflict and accused Meloni of seeking political advantage from its relationship with Washington.Meloni responded by emphasizing that Italy remains a sovereign state and that the use of US military bases on Italian soil is governed by agreements that “cannot be violated as long as I am prime minister.”
