Italy denied the US military access to land aircraft at Sicily naval base

Italy denied the US military permission to land aircraft at its Sigonella naval base in Sicily last week amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. Pre-existing treaties between the US and Italy require the US to seek authorisation to use its bases prior to initiating a flight plan, and can only be used for training and logistics, except for emergency situations. The US military made the request once the planes had already taken off, leaving the Italian military no time to seek the parliamentary approval that is required before granting permission for aircraft to land. This comes after Spain had also refused the US in the use of its jointly-operated military bases for purposes of the war on Iran, which escalated on Monday when Spain closed its airspace to the US military. On Tuesday US President Donald Trump also lashed out at France for reportedly denying the use of its airspace for US military planes carrying supplies to be used in the war on Iran. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0fZh5SBxxMNYdg0VzRFkg/join Catch previous episodes of MEE LIVE, our biweekly news programme exploring the stories shaping our world through breaking coverage, expert analysis, and hard-hitting interviews. Originally airing Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12pm ET | 5pm BST Got a story tip or question? Reach us at [email protected] Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@middleeasteye Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/MiddleEastEye Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/MiddleEastEye Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye