The government of Italy, under conservative Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, denied permission for US military aircraft to land at Sigonella air base in Sicily before heading to the Middle East for war against Iran.
The information, initially released by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, was confirmed this Tuesday (31) by a source from the Reuters agency.
According to the two media outlets, “some American bombers” were supposed to land at the base in eastern Sicily before heading to the Middle East, but permission was not granted because the United States would not have requested authorization and the Italian military leadership would not have been consulted, as required by treaties regulating the use of American military installations in the European country.
Furthermore, “initial checks confirmed that these are neither normal nor logistical flights and, therefore, are not included in the treaty with our country,” said Corriere della Sera sources.
The Italian newspaper and Reuters did not say when the landings were scheduled, nor how many aircraft would land at the base. The Pentagon and the Italian Ministry of Defense have not yet commented on the matter.
On Monday (30), Spain’s Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, stated that Madrid communicated to the US since the start of the war against Iran (which last weekend completed a month) that Spain did not authorize the use of the Rota and Morón bases nor the use of their airspace for war-related operations.
The management of socialist Pedro Sánchez claims that the conflict against the Iranian regime is “profoundly illegal and deeply unfair”, said the minister.
