Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called on the international community to cease arms sales to Israel, condemning recent attacks by Israeli forces on United Nations peacekeeping operations in Lebanon.
On Friday, Israeli troops fired at a UN observation post in southern Lebanon, injuring two peacekeepers. This incident marks the third consecutive day of reported Israeli fire at UN positions amid ongoing hostilities with Hezbollah.
Sanchez, speaking after a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, criticized the Israeli military’s actions, stating, “Let me at this point criticise and condemn the attacks that the Israeli armed forces are carrying out on the United Nations mission in Lebanon.” Fortunately, none of the Spanish soldiers involved in the mission were harmed, as confirmed by the Spanish Defence Ministry.
Spain currently has 650 peacekeepers deployed in Lebanon, led by a Spanish general.
Emphasizing the urgency of the situation, Sanchez revealed that Spain had halted all arms sales to Israel as of October 2023 and urged other nations to do the same. “I think it is urgent given what is happening in the Middle East that the international community stops exporting weapons to the Israeli government,” he stated, calling for a collective effort to mitigate the escalating conflict in the region.
