Italy's Defence Minister, Guido Crosetto, has dismissed opposition criticism over the government's deployment of troops and military assets to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, insisting that the mission was fully disclosed to parliament.
About 400 Italian Air Force personnel have been stationed in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain since March following Iranian retaliatory attacks on the Gulf after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. The deployment includes four Eurofighter fighter jets assigned to help protect regional airspace.
Opposition lawmakers from the Democratic Party accused Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government of bypassing parliamentary approval, arguing that Saudi Arabia was not covered under the existing mandate for overseas military operations.
Responding to the criticism, Crosetto said the mission's legal and operational framework had been presented transparently and that the information was publicly available through the Defence Ministry's website.
Italian newspaper Il Giornale recently reported that Italy may have deployed as many as 700 troops to the Gulf, along with additional military equipment, including air-defence systems. However, the Defence Ministry has not confirmed those figures or disclosed full operational details.
Italy pledged military support to Gulf allies after they requested assistance to strengthen air-defence and counter-drone capabilities in response to Iranian missile and drone threats.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in April, becoming the first European leader to tour the Gulf following the outbreak of the regional conflict.
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