Italy Rebuts NATO Claim of 500 US Epic Fury Flights From Its Bases
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 26
Italy Rebuts NATO Claim of 500 US Epic Fury Flights From Its Bases
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 26
Summary
Italy’s defense ministry called Mark Rutte’s account “fallacious” and “totally misleading,” saying Rome authorized only technical and logistical US flights from Italian bases, not combat missions tied to Operation Epic Fury.
Rutte had told Fox News that about 500 US aircraft took off from American bases in Italy as part of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, prompting a NATO clarification that he meant allies were honoring existing basing agreements.
The dispute has reignited a domestic political row because Meloni’s government has repeatedly said Italian territory was not cleared for direct military action against Iran, and opposition parties have demanded answers.
The base controversy lands amid a broader Meloni-Trump rupture over tariffs, the pope and personal insults, with Italy’s next test likely at the NATO summit in Ankara early next month.
Why is Italy publicly contradicting NATO's chief as Iran threatens retaliation for a US-led war?
Did the US-Israel war backfire by giving Iran more control over the world’s most critical oil chokepoint?
As a fragile truce holds, can a peace deal avert a global food crisis sparked by the Hormuz closure?
500 Flights, Zero Combat: Italy’s Denial of US Base Use in Operation Epic Fury and the NATO Rift Over Iran
Overview
The report traces how controversy erupted after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte claimed on Fox News that 500 US military flights had departed from Italian bases, prompting a swift and firm denial from the Italian government, which insisted no direct combat operations were launched from its territory. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani worked diplomatically to clarify the situation, engaging with Iran to resolve misunderstandings. This incident sparked political debate within Italy and highlighted the country's strict legal and procedural approach to allied military base use, emphasizing transparency and adherence to international agreements.