Italian Defense Ministry says jets bombing IS in Iraq "just hypothesis"

The Italian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that media allegations about Italian fighters ready to bomb the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq were just about a hypothesis and not a decision taken.

"With regard to press rumors of Italian air force operations in Iraq, the Ministry of Defense states that they are only hypotheses to be evaluated together with the allies and not decisions taken which, in any case, will have to be passed by parliament," the statement read.

Earlier on Tuesday, national newspaper Corriere della Sera in an article titled "Italy will bomb IS in Iraq" wrote that Italian tornado jets belonging to the international coalition fighting IS "in the next hours will have the task of bombing Iraq in joint agreement with the U.S. command."

"The tornado jets, initially configured for reconnaissance and illumination of the targets, will take up their full characteristics of fighters and thus directly hit the identified targets according to the new rules of engagement," the article read.

"As is well known, Italy is part of an international coalition and is already committed to an operation which is not an active one in terms of bombing," The Chairman of the Senate Defense Committee, Nicola Latorre, said in an interview with Rai state television.

"There was a request that was made to that effect and of course the government will evaluate these aspects and especially first inform parliament. At present there is no decision of this type... the rules of engagement have not changed," Latorre underlined.

Corriere della Sera also said U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Italy on Tuesday, where he was scheduled to visit NATO base Sigonella in Sicily island and meet Italian leaders in capital Rome. Endit