Italy minister rejects opposition criticism of Saudi troop deployment

ROME, July 31 (Reuters) - Italy's defense minister on Friday rejected opposition criticism over the deployment of troops and military assets to the Gulf region, saying the mission's framework had been fully disclosed to parliament. According to the defense ministry's website, around 400 Italian air force personnel have been deployed to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain since March, after Tehran had targeted those nations in the wake of U.S and Israeli strikes on Iran.