Italy prevented American planes from landing at a military base in Sicily

Italy refused to allow a number of American planes to land at the Sigonella air base on the island of Sicily, located in the Mediterranean, for the purpose of carrying out operations related to the ongoing war against Iran. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto recently refused to grant the US military permission to use the Sigonella military airport as a launching point for flights to the Middle East, according to a report published in the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera. The newspaper reported that sources close to the Ministry of Defense in Rome confirmed the accuracy of this report.

The report stated that Italy was not informed of the American plans until after the planes were already on their way, and no permission was requested in advance, nor was Italy, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), notified. Details of the type of flights that were scheduled were not clear.

It is worth noting that the “Sigonella” air base, located near the Catania region in eastern Sicily, includes an Italian Air Force base and a US Navy base, and is also used by the NATO defense alliance.