Italy has deployed about 400 Air Force personnel to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain since March under Task Force Air-Arabia, with four Eurofighter jets assigned to protect allied airspace in the Gulf. The mission also includes air-defence radars and a counter-drone system, placing Italian military aviation assets directly into a regional security role outside Europe.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto publicly confirmed the deployment on Friday and rejected opposition criticism, arguing that the legal and operational framework had been presented transparently to parliament. Gulf partners requested the support after regional strikes and retaliatory attacks raised pressure on air-defence networks.
The ministry identifies the operation as Task Force Air-Arabia and places it under Col. Michele Schiavi. Its stated tasks include surveillance and defence of airspace, alongside protection of Italian forces and interests in the area. Reuters reported the official listing of radars and a counter-drone system, but did not confirm the presence of a SAMP/T surface-to-air missile system in the material it reviewed.