Italy declined to take part in military action against Houthis, source says

Italy declined to take part in U.S. and British strikes overnight against the Houthi group in Yemen, a government source said on Friday, explaining that Rome preferred to pursue a "calming" policy in the Red Sea.

The source, who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, also said the government would have needed parliamentary backing to take part in any military action, making swift approval impossible.

The United States and Britain struck multiple targets in Yemen from the air and the sea, while the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Bahrain provided logistical and intelligence support, U.S. officials have said.