The Chambers of Deputies approved Italy's participation in the Aspides mission in the Red Sea, as well as the European EUAM mission for Ukraine and the Levant operation for Gaza, which is a diplomatic action to deliver humanitarian goods to the Gaza Strip via maritime corridors. The government had endorsed five of the six resolutions tabled, with the exception of the Green Left Alliance's opposition to the Aspides mission. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had also expressed support for the Democratic Party's resolution, with the exception of the recommendation to restore funds to UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, and funds for NGOs operating in Palestine and Israel, which was ultimately rejected by the Montecitorio and Palazzo Madama assemblies. "I want to be explicit, because there have been some lexical misunderstandings," Tajani said in the chamber, "but I want to emphasize that the Aspides mission will solely have defensive tasks. In other words, the mission will not be able to take preemptive measures. The usage of the word "eminently" in reference to the mission's defense goals is at the heart of the debate. "The word referred to - specifies the head of Italian diplomacy - had to be interpreted in a reinforcing sense, not in the sense of 'above all', because, given what all the European missions are, it would not be possible to have the possibility of offensive action" . Defensive in any event "does not mean simple accompaniment; it means the possibility of responding in a military manner, as occurred during the drone attack on the destroyer Caio Duilio. This is the mode of operation; these are the rules of engagement. As a result, the executive's responsibilities include extended self-defense, such as neutralizing attacks on guarded merchant ships and resisting any attempts to seize vessels". Tajani further states that "enforcement activities can only be carried out in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, south of the latitude of Muscat. In any case, these reactions must be both necessary and proportionate, and they must always take place at sea or in airspace. Aspides must never be involved in land-based operations".
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