Italy has not allowed the US access to its Sigonella military base on the island of Sicily, Corriere della Sera reports.

According to the newspaper, the incident occurred a few days ago, but the information was kept secret.

The Italian Air Force General Staff informed the Chief of Defense Staff, General Luciano Portolano, that the flight plan of several American bombers provided for them to land at the Sigonella air base.

No preliminary consultations were held with the Italian military leadership, and the aforesaid flight plan was sent to the Italian authorities only after these American warplanes were already in the air.

Earlier, Spain closed its airspace and military bases to US operations against Iran, seeking to avoid an escalation of the conflict.