Italy Suspends Defense Agreement With Israel After IDF Fired Warning Shots At Country’s Peacekeeping Convoy

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has suspended the nation’s defense cooperation agreement with Israel amid the war with Iran.

Meloni spoke outside a wine industry event in Verona Tuesday, where she told reporters the Italian government “has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel in consideration of the current situation,” according to a Politico report.

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The defense agreement was first established in 2003. It covers the transfer of military equipment and technology-related research between Italy and Israel’s armed forces, and it is set to automatically renew every five years, Politico reported. (RELATED: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Laughs Off Bizarre Church Art Scandal)

The development comes amid rising tensions between Italy and Israel, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired warning shots at an Italian peacekeeping convoy in Lebanon on April 8, according to a Politico report.

“A logistics convoy of the Italian contingent, moving from Shama towards Beirut, was subjected to warning shots fired by the IDF about two kilometres from the base of departure,” the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, stated April 8. The peacekeepers were with UNIFIL, or the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

Both Spain and Italy have since demanded explanations from Israel following separate incidents in Lebanon, including the detention of a Spanish UN peacekeeper.

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No troops were reported injured, but Italy responded sharply.

Meloni slammed the incident as “completely unacceptable,” and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called Israel’s ambassador to Rome — the third time since 2024, Politico reported. (RELATED: Watch Pro-Palestine Protesters Fight Cops As Strikes Hit Multiple Italian Cities)

Crosetto said April 8 that Italy “demands full respect for the role of UNIFIL.”

Jurists in Italy have urged the country to end its defense agreement with Israel, citing legal and ethical concerns, The Jerusalem Post reported in May 2025.

Italy’s government has mostly supported Israel during the war in Gaza and does not recognize Palestinian statehood, Politico reported, but the conflict involving Iran has pushed Meloni to shift her position.

The Italian prime minister delivered the blunt prediction Tuesday during her customary Christmas greeting to staff at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

“The end of 2025 has been difficult for all of us. Don’t worry, because next year will be much worse,” Giorgia Meloni… pic.twitter.com/hAeVCddESP

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 26, 2025

In an interview with Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, President Donald Trump criticized Meloni, saying she was “different from what [he] thought.” He slammed her over Italy’s reluctance to get involved in the Iran war.

“I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” he said. (RELATED: Key US Allies Give Trump Board Of Peace The Cold Shoulder)

Meloni criticized Israel after Catholic clergy were blocked from holding a private Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, describing it as offensive to religious freedom.