Houthis, what will Italy do?
Anti-Houthi Italy? Facts, words and reconstructions
“Italy (for now) has not been asked to intervene, but if we were called to participate it would be in the nation's interest to do so without hesitation”. This is what director Mario Sechi, former head of the press office at Palazzo Chigi with Giorgia Meloni and a leading journalist close to the centre-right, wrote today in his editorial in Libero Quotidiano .
The question actually lies entirely in that parenthesis: for now. In fact, Italy is not participating in the American-led naval mission and has not signed, together with France and Spain, the document justifying the raids by promising new attacks.
The news emerged yesterday from the Reuters news agency, according to which Italy refused to take part in the attacks conducted by the USA and the United Kingdom. An indiscretion which a few hours later sources at Palazzo Chigi flatly denied, underlining that "Italy was never asked to participate in any attack".
Shortly afterwards, the Farnesina also intervened, directly with the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who clarified that «Italy cannot participate in military actions except with prior authorization from Parliament», and underlined that «Italy has a frigate in the Red Sea, and has always taken sides to protect the freedom of maritime circulation against the Houthi rebels". ( here is the recent Start Magazine interview with the president of Cesi, Andrea Margelletti , advisor to the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto)
The government adds that Italy was informed a few hours in advance of the attack, having a military ship in the area, but they underline that Rome did not sign the agreement signed in December by the Americans with some European countries (including Denmark , Germany and Great Britain) to also intervene militarily against the actions of the Houthi rebels.
Even our defense sources yesterday underlined that the case arose from a misunderstanding, underlining how Italy cannot participate in military actions except in self-defense, through a UN resolution and in any case always subject to the approval and authorization of the our Parliament.
Also to reassure all allies, the note from Palazzo Chigi reads: «Italy firmly condemns the repeated attacks by the Houthis against merchant ships in the Red Sea and confirms its strong support for the right of free and safe navigation. Faced with the unacceptable behavior of the Houthis, Italy supports the operations of allied countries, which have the right to defend their boats."
But despite yesterday Palazzo Chigi formally claiming that "we were never asked to participate in the attacks" – reveals Corriere della Sera – a diplomatic document certifies what the nature of the talks that took place between the government and the allied chancelleries actually was. “It is a report sent on January 3 by the Italian embassy in London to the Farnesina: «United Kingdom strategy towards Iran». And the dispatch refers to confidential information coming from the British Foreign Ministry – writes Francesco Verderami of the RCS newspaper – An entire paragraph is dedicated to the crisis in the Red Sea caused by the Yemeni rebels, and «since the obstacles to navigation are continuing even in the presence of the ships of the international coalition", according to the Foreign Office "it is now necessary to adopt more incisive initiatives". An "intense Anglo-American coordination" is described, which has as its objective "territorially limited military initiatives, aimed at knocking out the Houthi positions from which the attacks start" against merchant traffic in the area. And it is made clear that «London would like the active involvement of partners, including Italy, in the necessary operations»”.
“It is proof – underlines the Corriere della sera – that the United States and Great Britain have asked the government for military support, and that "the consultations" that a source in the American administration spoke about yesterday also involved the Italian executive at most high level. The intent was to convince the partners of the need to jointly strike the missile bases in Yemen, because "it is unacceptable to effectively leave control of the Red Sea and the Suez Canal" to the Shiite rebels and therefore to Iran. Although he agreed with the allies, the head of Defense said he was against military action: for Crosetto "it would be a mistake to open another front" of crisis while the war in the Gaza Strip is underway".
Meloni herself, during the press conference on January 4, addressed the United States and the United Kingdom when she underlined how "an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East could have consequences that I consider unimaginable". Thus, a week later, Italy did not sign the joint statement announcing the start of "kinetic operations". And it was not – it was specified – for "a form of dissent with respect to the firm condemnation of the Houthis", but for "the impossibility of participating in the joint strikes in coherence with our constitutional dictate". “A sentence that testifies to what several ministers confirm, namely that «every step of the government has been agreed with the head of state». The other actor in the story”, comments Corriere della Sera , evoking the role of Sergio Mattarella.
But «our path – an institutional source told Verderami of the Corriere della sera – in this case was obligatory». For constitutional, political reasons. And also military. In Lebanon, where the pro-Iranian Hezbollah operates, more than a thousand Italian soldiers are engaged in the Unifil mission. When a rocket hit the Naquora headquarters on October 15, Crosetto warned: "If our contingent was in danger we would decide to withdraw." That Italian command thus exposed is a source of "concern". “They recognize it in the government, where developments in the Anglo-American attack in Yemen are awaited: «If the crisis goes beyond two days, that fuse is dangerous»”, concludes Corriere della Sera .
In the background, but not too much, is also the issue of the Navy's military equipment . There are still fresh news and denials regarding only 63 missiles currently supplied to the Navy. A number that would have been indicated by the Defense Minister himself to some parliamentarians in a recent hearing in Crosetto. The head of the Defense Ministry, more than 24 hours after the publication of the indiscretion by the newspaper Il Foglio , denied the news , which however the newspaper confirmed .
Whether there are more or less 63, the question remains: is Italy really capable of being militarily capable of being a full-fledged part of the anti-Houthi coalition so far operationally and effectively formed only by the United States and England?
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/houthi-che-fara-litalia/ on Sat, 13 Jan 2024 10:40:57 +0000.