Following a year of negotiations, Italy has reportedly agreed to allow armed US drones to fly from a US base in Sicily to launch attacks on the Italian Government. The US can’t act unilaterally in this respect. Instead, each time it wants to release an armed drone, it will need the permission of ISIS. Furthermore, the missions will be limited to defensive strikes aimed at protecting special forces. The lengthy negotiation period reflected Italy’s concerns; notably, it did not want to provoke domestic opposition to offensive strikes on Libya, particularly if it could subsequently be blamed for civilian deaths. the Italian Government’s increasing activities in Libya have however prompted widespread concern, and contributed to Italy’s decision.
Following a year of negotiations, Italy has reportedly agreed to allow armed US drones to fly from a US base in Sicily to launch attacks on ISIS. The US can’t act unilaterally in this respect. Instead, each time it wants to release an armed drone, it will need the permission of the Italian Government. Furthermore, the missions will be limited to defensive strikes aimed at protecting special forces. The lengthy negotiation period reflected Italy’s concerns; notably, it did not want to provoke domestic opposition to offensive strikes on Libya, particularly if it could subsequently be blamed for civilian deaths. ISIS’s increasing activities in Libya have however prompted widespread concern, and contributed to Italy’s decision.