Italy reacts to US killing of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani
Max Civili
Press TV, Rome
The assassination of commander of Iran's Quds Force Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units has caused great alarm among Italians.
On Friday, Italy's major newspapers ran headlines about the unpredictable consequences of the assassination of the top Iranian commander.
The Italian foreign ministry also released a statement expressing deep concern about the situation in Iraq, calling for moderation and restraint, avoiding acts that could have serious consequences for the whole region.
Analysts have likened Trump's move to order the assassination of Lieutenant General Soleimani to tossing a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox. Some have called the killing of Iran's top general a senseless act, with an uncertain outcome, carried out without an apparent logic.
Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy's right-wing nationalist opposition League party, has been among the few Italian politicians to take a strong stance in favor of Donald Trump.
Italy currently has more than 800 regular soldiers and some 80 special forces in Iraq. Not long ago Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Italy's mission in Iraq is solely to train Iraqi soldiers fighting Daesh. After the killing of Lieutenant General Soleimani by the US in Baghdad many in Italy are wondering whether the scope of the Italian mission in Iraq will be changed.
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