Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she would not renew a 2006 defense agreement with Israel that pooled military research and helped cover expenses related to military equipment exchanges, Defense News reported on April 14. The move followed Spain's withdrawal of its ambassador to Israel in March.

Divisions have deepened between Israel and European countries as Israel conducts an expansive campaign in Lebanon against Hezbollah, where Italy, France, Spain, Ireland, Poland and Austria are part of the U.N. peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL. Indonesian, French and Polish peacekeepers have already been caught up in Israeli military action, with three Indonesians killed at the end of March.