Italy defends Gulf troop deployment

Italy's defense minister Guido Crosetto rejected opposition criticism over the deployment of around 400 Italian air force personnel to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain since March, following Iranian retaliatory attacks on those nations after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. The contingent includes four Eurofighter jets and air-defense radars, with a counter-drone system also deployed. Opposition lawmakers from the Democratic Party accused the government of failing to seek parliamentary authorization, arguing Saudi Arabia was outside the scope of the approved mandate. Crosetto defended the mission's transparency, stating the framework was fully disclosed. Reports from Il Giornale suggested up to 700 soldiers were dispatched, and that a Franco-Italian SAMP/T air-defense system may have been sent to Saudi Arabia, though the defense ministry did not confirm this. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates in April, becoming the first European leader to travel to the Gulf since the conflict began.