Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has rejected opposition criticism over the deployment of troops and military assets to the Gulf region, saying the mission’s framework had been properly disclosed, Al Jazeera reports.
According to the defence ministry’s website, around 400 Italian air force personnel have been deployed to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain since March.
Lawmakers from Italy’s centre-left Democratic Party have accused the government of failing to seek parliamentary authorisation for the mission, saying Saudi Arabia was outside the scope of a mandate approved for overseas military assignments.
