Italy declines to bomb Syria: 'We want to wipe out terrorists, not please the commentators'

Italy will not join U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced Sunday in a statement which warned against unintended consequences of reactive military interventions.

"If being a protagonist means playing at running after other people's bombardments, then I say 'no thank you,'" Renzi said. "Italy's position is clear and solid. We want to wipe out terrorists, not please the commentators. The one thing we don't need is to multiply on-the-spot reactions, without a strategic vision."

Renzi also drew comparisons to the 2011 NATO airstrikes in Libya, which successfully helped rebel efforts to oust Moammar Gadhafi but left the country a chaotic haven of terrorism: "Four years of civil war in Libya show it was not a happy decision. Today there needs to be a different strategy," to deal with Syria, Renzi said. He added, "The one thing we cannot allow ourselves is a repeat of Libya."

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