Crisis of Sigonella
The Sigonella crisis (named after the air base at which it originated, in Sicily) was a diplomatic case between Italy and the United States that occurred in October 1985. The incident risked escalating into an armed confrontation between VAM (Vigilanza Aeronautica Militare, an Italian Air Force unit responsible for internal security) and Carabinieri on one side, and Delta Force (a special force unit of the U.S. Army) soldiers on the other, in the aftermath of a political rupture between Italian Prime Minister Bettino Craxi and U.S. President Ronald Reagan about the fate of the Palestinian terrorists who had hijacked and diverted the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro, killing an American passenger.