Italy suspends defence deal with Israel

ROME, Apr 15 (BBC): Italy will not renew its defence agreement with Israel, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said.
Meloni said her government had decided to suspend the renewal, which happens every five years, "in view of the current situation", without offering specifics. Relations between Rome and Tel Aviv, which have historically been solid, have recently soured.
Last week, Italy summoned the Israeli ambassador to Rome after warning shots were fired by Israeli forces at a convoy of Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, damaging one vehicle but causing no injuries.
On Monday, Israel in turn summoned Italy's ambassador to protest comments by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who had condemned Israel's "unacceptable attacks" on civilians in Lebanon.
Defence ministry officials told the BBC they were still examining how the government's position would translate into concrete legal and practical consequences on the framework of Italian cooperation with Israel.
Italy is the third-biggest arms exporter to Israel, according to figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). But that still only accounts for 1.3% of Israeli arms imports between 2021-2025. The US and Germany are the top exporters.
Several European countries paused or restricted arms exports with Israel during its military action in Gaza.