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Italy has suspended the automatic renewal of its defense agreement with Israel, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Tuesday.
"In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel,” ANSA news agency reported, citing Meloni's talk with reporters in the northeastern city of Verona.
She further said international efforts should continue to advance peace negotiations in order to stabilize the situation in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Meloni also urged caution on the issue of Russian gas.
Israeli data showed Tuesday that 35 people have been killed and more than 8,000 injured since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28.
The tally was given by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an independent think tank affiliated with Tel Aviv University, though no independent reports have verified the actual number of casualties or the extent of damage.
Israel enforces strict censorship on reporting its losses from missiles and drones launched by Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, as well as from ground fighting in southern Lebanon.
The institute said that Iran has launched more than 640 missiles that entered Israeli airspace, along with more than 765 drones, since the war began.
More than 6,300 people have been evacuated since the outbreak of the conflict, with the highest number recorded in Tel Aviv with 1,535 people, followed by Arad with about 1,510, Dimona with 1,150, and Beit Shemesh with 515, according to the data.
Tensions have escalated across the region since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran, killing more than 3,300 people, according to Iranian authorities. Tehran retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, Iraq, Jordan and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets.
The U.S. and Iran held rare direct talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday aimed at ending their conflict, but the talks ended early Sunday without any agreement.
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