Italy denied use of base to some US aircraft headed to Mideast

ROME: Italy recently refused authorisation for some US aircraft headed to the Middle East on a combat mission to land at its Sigonella base, a defence ministry source and Italian media said Tuesday.

Under the terms of agreements with the United States, some Italian bases can be used by US military aircraft, but only for logistical purposes.

Authorisation for any use for combat missions has to come from the government which in turn needs to get the go-ahead from parliament.

“They asked for permission to land… They were already in flight and there was not enough time to consult parliament so it was refused,” a defence ministry source told AFP.

Italy’s Sigonella base is located in eastern Sicily, south of the city of Catania. 

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A report in the Corriere della Sera daily said the incident happened a few days ago and involved US bombers.

The source said they did not have information on when the incident occurred or how many aircraft were involved.

Following the report, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office published a statement saying ties with the US are “solid and based on full and honest co-operation”.

“Italy acts in full compliance with international agreements,” it said, adding: “Every request is examined on a case-by-case basis”.

But opposition leader Elly Schlein, head of the centre-left Democratic Party, said the incident showed “the US wants to use our territory as a platform for the war in the Middle East”.

“Italy’s refusal to grant authorisation cannot be a one-off decision; it must become a clearly stated policy line, also in view of future improper requests from the US command,” Schlein said.

The reports came after Spain’s leftist government confirmed it had closed the country’s airspace to US planes carrying out missions against Iran.

Far-right leader Meloni is one of US President Donald Trump’s biggest allies in Europe and has sought to act as a mediator between US and European positions on many issues.

In the Middle East war, she has aligned more with sceptical European allies, repeating that “Italy is not part of the conflict and does not intend to become part of it”.

As a major energy importer, Italy could be particularly affected by the sharp rise in oil prices as a result of the war.