Italy's stranded defence minister to return from Dubai on military aircraft

MILAN, March 1 (Reuters) - Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said on Sunday that he was returning to Italy from Dubai, where he had been stranded with his family after flights were suspended because of the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.

The minister left Rome on Friday evening aboard a civilian flight to join his family, already in Dubai on holiday. He was scheduled to return to Italy on Saturday afternoon.

"I'm returning on my own to avoid exposing others to further danger, since anyone travelling with me in the current circumstances could be put at risk. I'm returning on a military aircraft and I will leave my family here," he wrote on X.

(Reporting by Gianluca SemeraroEditing by David Goodman)