"Tonight I personally followed, with the utmost attention and in contact with the Chief of Defense Staff, General Luciano Portolano, the evolution of the situation in Saudi Arabia, and in particular at the Ta'if air base, which has been the target of several attacks and where Italian personnel engaged in Operation Inherent Resolve are present. No Italian military personnel are involved. An Italian F-2000 aircraft was hit in the attack; it was located inside the base in a remote area. There are no other damages to vehicles or infrastructure used by our personnel." This was stated by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto.
"I asked the Chief of Defense Staff, General Luciano Portolano, the Commander of the Joint Operational Command, General Giovanni Maria Iannucci, and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Antonio Conserva," the minister states, "to provide me with a further assessment, following those already carried out in recent weeks, on the evolution of the situation, the conditions of our personnel and the possible operational options. I was reconfirmed that all security measures to safeguard military personnel had already been implemented some time ago."
"In a few minutes," he adds, "I will have the first update during a meeting at the Defense Ministry. The situation is being monitored with the utmost attention with the aim of ensuring the full protection of our personnel and of acting with the necessary responsibility."
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