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This time the Houthis also hit Italian targets, causing serious damage, fortunately without any casualties. One of the drones probably launched by the Yemeni militiamen hits an Italian Eurofighter fighter, which was stopped inside the Saudi King Fahd air base in Tàif, where the men of the Italian contingent are located, engaged since last March in the Task Force Arabia operation, in support of the defense of the skies of the partner countries in the Middle East.
The hub suffered several attacks during the night between 17 and 18 September and the Italian military leaders immediately remained in contact with the minister Guido Crosetto: «There are no our soldiers involved. An F-2000 aircraft was hit in the attack”, the Defense Minister will then report, who also asked for “a further evaluation, after those already carried out in recent weeks, on the evolution of the situation, on the conditions of our personnel and on possible operational options”. And he specified: “It was reconfirmed to me that all the security measures to safeguard military personnel had already been put in place for some time.”
A hard blow worth over one hundred million
However, the elimination of one of the four fighters present on the base represents a severe blow, with which over one hundred million euros will also go up in smoke, if you think about the cost of a single Eurofighter. There are several doubts raised by the opposition on the presence of our military in that area while new developments are appearing in recent hours on the front of international diplomacy, committed to a de-escalation of tensions in that specific area of the Gulf.
The truce proposed by Riyadh and the skepticism of the Houthis
US President Donald Trump explained that discussions are underway with Yemen’s militiamen to try to reach an agreement while Saudi Arabia has proposed a two-week truce: despite this, the Houthis have shown skepticism towards the offer, hoping for a “definitive and complete solution to the conflict”. At the moment therefore the conflict continues.
The opposition asks for information
In Italy, on the political front, the attack on the Eurofighter provoked a reaction from the M5S, Pd and Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, who ask Minister Crosetto to “immediately report to Parliament”, so that the government “says what measures it intends to take before, in addition to losing planes costing over one hundred million each, human lives are also lost”, maintain the Five Star Movement, recalling the risks already reported for the Italian soldiers and underlining that – for those deployed in the Saudi base – there was no involvement of Parliament.
The same tone is expressed by the Democratic Party, for which «the fact that an Italian F-2000 aircraft was hit is an element that cannot be dismissed as almost a simple accident. The government must explain what the nature of our presence in Saudi Arabia is today, what the risks are for Italian personnel and whether the conditions that motivated our commitment are still the same. We cannot – continue the Dems – limit ourselves to taking note of the attacks and the security measures adopted”. And Avs adds fears for the “real risk that Italy will be increasingly dragged into military escalation in the Middle East”.
Vannacci’s position
The leader of Futuro Nazionale, Roberto Vannacci, also intervenes on the topic: «I have always been worried about the situation not only in the Red Sea, but also about the Russian-Ukrainian war – he says -. Too bad it would seem that there is someone who is blowing the winds of war and who continues to support an all-out war. If this decision increases the safety of our men, it is welcome”, said the former general, reiterating that “the situation is certainly worrying”.