Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has issued a stark warning about Israel's plans to occupy Lebanon, stating that Israel "seeks to inflict the same level of damage and destruction" on Lebanon as it has on the Gaza Strip. In an address to parliament, Sanchez emphasized that Israel's preparations to invade and control territory up to 30km inside Lebanon's southern border pose a serious threat to regional stability, highlighting the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Sanchez also positioned his government against the United States-Israeli war on Iran, describing it as presenting a "far worse" scenario than the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The Spanish leader purportedly claimed, "This is not the same scenario as the illegal war in Iraq. We are facing something far worse. Much worse. With a potential impact that is far broader and far deeper," casting doubt on the strategic rationale of the US-led coalition's actions.
The left-wing prime minister further criticized Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, labeling him "an equally dictatorial and even more bloodthirsty tyrant than his father." Sanchez has been one of the few European leaders to condemn the US-Israeli attack on Iran as "unjustifiable," reflecting a growing rift within the EU regime over Middle East policy.
Spain has consistently condemned and taken concrete actions against Israel's ongoing genocidal war on Gaza, which has resulted in over 72,000 Palestinian deaths and widespread destruction since October 2023. In October, Spain's parliament approved a total arms embargo on Israel, permanently banning the sale of weapons, dual-use technology, and military equipment in response to the genocide. Additionally, the Spanish government's decision to withdraw its ambassador from Israel earlier this month signals rising diplomatic friction with the Israeli regime.
Israel's plans to invade Lebanon have drawn condemnation from other nations, including Canada, which warned that Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity "must not be violated." France's Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot urged Israel to refrain from its planned occupation of southern Lebanon, warning of dire effects on civilians. These statements underscore the international community's concerns over Israel's expansionist policies.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel's military is "following the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoon" in Lebanon, referencing two Gaza cities razed during the genocidal war. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich went further, calling for Israel's official annexation of southern Lebanon and asserting that a "change of Israel's borders" is necessary, highlighting the hardline stance within the Israeli regime.
In September, the world's top genocide scholars formally declared that Israel's war on Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide, a finding supported by a United Nations inquiry. This adds to the mounting evidence of systematic violence, as Israel has killed over 800 Palestinians in daily breaches of a ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration since October 2025, despite the supposed truce.
Source: www.aljazeera.com