Overview
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told Fox News on Wednesday that about 500 U.S. aircraft used bases in Italy to support the U.S. operation 'Epic Fury.'
- Within hours the Italian Defence Ministry said Rome only authorised technical and logistical flights under existing treaties and denied any approval for kinetic strike missions.
- NATO issued a clarification that Rutte was referring to logistical or technical support rather than combat sorties, while Italy insisted all treaty procedures were respected.
- Opposition parties and parliamentary leaders demanded an immediate explanation from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and urged formal briefings to clear apparent contradictions.
- Former military figures and analysts questioned inconsistencies between Rutte's wording and U.S. accounts, raising oversight concerns about how flight missions are certified under bilateral base agreements.