NAPLES: Defence ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries meet for talks in Naples on Saturday against a backdrop of dangerous escalation in the Middle East and mounting pressure on Ukraine as it faces another winter of fighting.

Italy, which holds the rotating G7 presidency, has organised the first ministerial meeting dedicated to defence, holding it in Naples, the southern city home to a Nato base.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told journalists in Brussels that he had personally requested the summit given the many conflicts facing the international community.

"I found it surreal that the seven largest economies in the world have met to talk about all the issues, from tourism, to culture, to energy... and they didn't find themselves talking together about defence in a historic moment like the one we're experiencing," Crosetto said.

Besides the escalating Middle East conflict – which Crosetto said would be accorded "ample space" during the one-day summit – the agenda includes the war in Ukraine, development in Africa and security in the Asia-Pacific.

The meeting comes two days after Israel announced the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct 7, attack on Israel last year that triggered the war in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Sinwar's death in the Palestinian territory signalled "the beginning of the end" of the war against Hamas.

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was in Lebanon yesterday (Oct 18), where Israel is also at war with Hamas ally Hizbollah.

Speaking in Beirut, Meloni slammed attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon as "unacceptable" after the UN force accused Israel of firing at their positions.

Italy has around 1,000 troops as part of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon, which has soldiers from more than 50 countries, including 16 within the EU.

The G7 defence ministers will also be looking to Ukraine, which is facing a third winter at war, battlefield losses in the east and the prospect of reduced US military support should Donald Trump be elected to the White House.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is under mounting pressure from Western allies to forge a winning strategy against Russia, presented his "victory plan" to the European Union and Nato on Thursday (Oct 17).

It includes Nato membership, the ability to strike military targets inside Russia with long-range weapons and an undefined "non-nuclear strategic deterrence package" on Ukrainian territory.

Under discussion will also likely be reports that North Korea is deploying large numbers of troops to support Moscow's war against Ukraine, according to South Korean intelligence.

Nato chief Mark Rutte said yesterday (Oct 18) that the alliance had not yet confirmed that intelligence.

Following morning and afternoon sessions, Saturday's summit will conclude with a press conference scheduled for 4:00 pm (1400 GMT).

 — AFP