STOCKHOLM, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Swedish government has pulled out of an international military exercise in Italy at short notice, after discovering that the Israeli air force was due to take part, local media reported on Wednesday.

    The F17 Blekinge Wing, which was to have taken part in the exercise, was informed of the decision on Tuesday, two weeks before the event. The exercise has been planned for more than eight months, reported Swedish Radio.

    The objective of the exercise was to train for any future international peacekeeping operations. But details of Israeli involvement changed the conditions of Sweden's participation, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    "Our analysis of the current situation is that Israel's participation in this kind of peacekeeping effort does not seem likely given the political situation in the Middle East," said the ministry's press officer, Christian Karlsson, to SR. Enditem