India, April 14 -- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday announced the suspension of Italy's defence agreement with Israel, which involves the exchange of military equipment and technology research.

"In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel," Meloni was quoted as saying by Italian news agency Ansa.

An Italian diplomatic source confirmed to AFP that the agreement had been suspended, saying: "It would have been politically difficult to keep it going."

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According to the report, the agreement with Israel was approved in 2006 and is reviewed every five years. It calls for cooperation across defence indu...