"In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel," Meloni said on the sidelines of an event in Verona, according to Italian news agencies ANSA and AGI.

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

Approved by Israel in 2006, the agreement is reviewed every five years.

It calls for cooperation across defence industries, education and training of military personnel, research and development and information technology, among others.

Tensions between the two countries have risen over the past week after the Italian government accused Israeli forces of firing warning shots at a convoy of Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

Italy summoned Israel's ambassador in protest over the incident that damaged at least one vehicle but caused no injuries.

On Monday, Israel summoned Italy's ambassador following comments by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani that condemned "unacceptable attacks" on Lebanese civilians by Israeli forces.

Tajani, who is deputy prime minister, was in Beirut Monday for talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi.

He later wrote on X that he was there to "convey Italy's solidarity following Israel's unacceptable attacks against the civilian population".

Meloni's announcement marked another diplomatic realignment for her right-wing government, coming a day after she criticized another close ally Trump, for his attacks on Pope Leo. 

A source close to the matter, who requested anonymity, said Meloni took the decision on Monday with her foreign and defence ministers, Antonio Tajani and Guido Crosetto, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.

Israel's foreign ministry played down the consequences.

"We have no security agreement with Italy. We have a memorandum of understanding from many years ago that has never contained any substantive content. This will not affect Israel's security," it said in a statement.

"It's a repositioning," Lorenzo Castellani, political historian at Rome's Luiss University, told Reuters.

"She's afraid that a sizeable portion of the electorate, even among the centre-right, will become highly critical of Trump and Netanyahu and of the effects of this war on Iran on the economy," he added.

Italy's opposition parties had long called for a stop to the deal with Israel.

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