Italy said it authorized only technical and logistical support flights from U.S. bases on its territory after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said hundreds of American aircraft had taken off from Italy to support U.S. operations against Iran.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Italy’s government pushed back Wednesday after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said hundreds of U.S. aircraft had departed from American bases in Italy to support military operations against Iran, insisting Rome had not approved direct combat activity from Italian territory.
The dispute followed Rutte’s remarks on Fox News, where he cited Italy as an example of European support for the United States. Rutte said 500 U.S. planes had taken off from U.S. bases in Italy “to support Epic Fury,” the name Washington used for the war it launched alongside Israel.
The comments quickly triggered a political fight in Italy, where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has repeatedly said it did not authorize Italian territory to be used for direct military action against Iran.
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Italy had complied with its constitution, international treaties and the agreements governing allied bases located in the country.
“As already clarified in parliament, the government authorized exclusively technical and logistical, non-kinetic activities,” Crosetto said.
He said Italy had rejected requests that went beyond those limits.
The dispute comes as relations between Meloni and President Donald Trump are already strained. The two leaders publicly clashed last week over Italy’s refusal to support the U.S. military campaign against Iran, with Trump also directing personal criticism at the Italian prime minister.
Crosetto said he was surprised that Rutte, who “has nothing to do with Operation Epic Fury,” offered an account that he said created a “totally misleading message” by blurring the distinction between authorized support flights and combat-related operations.
Italy hosts about 120 U.S. military facilities, including the Sigonella naval air station in Sicily and Aviano air base in northern Italy.
A NATO official, responding to a request for comment, said Rutte had only “highlighted how Allies including Italy carried out their existing bilateral agreements in the context of basing and overflights.”
Opposition leaders demanded that Meloni’s government return to parliament to explain the discrepancy.
Five Star Movement leader and former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Meloni should clarify the issue before lawmakers. Nicola Fratoianni of the Green and Left Alliance said either the government had misled parliament or Rutte “has suffered a heatstroke.”
The exchange renewed scrutiny of Italy’s role in U.S. military operations from allied bases on Italian soil, particularly as the Meloni government seeks to maintain its NATO commitments while insisting it did not authorize direct participation in strikes against Iran.
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