Italy Open To New G7 Sanctions On Israel's Enemies - Foreign Minister

Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven (G7), is open to new sanctions on individuals engaged against Israel following the Iranian drone and missile attack, its foreign minister said on Monday.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said fresh sanctions would need the backing of all the G7, which includes Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Japan, Britain and the United States. He also suggested that any new measures would be focused on individuals rather than whole nations.

"If we need to have more sanctions for people clearly engaged against Israel, supporting for example terrorism, supporting Hamas, it is possible to do it. But we need to be very serious and to work all together," Tajani told Reuters.

Tajani called the Iranian attack a "big mistake" for Tehran but "positive" for Israel as it had revealed the efficiency of its air defenses that shot down most of the drones and missiles with help from the US, Britain, France and Jordan.

The G7 on Sunday condemned the attack and urged Tehran to exercise restraint, with the United States warning Israel that it would not take part in a counteroffensive.

Tajani had a phone call with his Iranian counterpart before the attack to urge caution.

"For us it is important to protect Italian soldiers" working in the area under the auspices of the United Nations, he said, adding that Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen had to stop attacks on ships in the Red Sea, which is vital to world trade.

Ahead of a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers on April 17-19 on the Italian island of Capri, Tajani said, "All together we want to protect Israel, but we want to achieve stability and peace," he said.