Spain's PM Sanchez accuses Netanyahu of seeking Gaza-scale destruction in Lebanon

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has directly accused Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of planning to inflict the same level of devastation and destruction on Lebanon as Israeli forces have carried out in Gaza during the ongoing genocide.

“Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said Israel “seeks to inflict the same level of damage and destruction” on Lebanon as on the Gaza Strip, as its army continues attacks across the neighbouring country amid plans to occupy its south”

Al Jazeera

Speaking before Spain's lower house, Sanchez stated that Netanyahu 'seeks to inflict the same level of damage and destruction' on Lebanon as occurred in the Palestinian enclave.

Al Jazeera

The Spanish leader made these remarks while outlining Madrid's opposition to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

He warned that Israeli preparations to invade Lebanon and take control of territory up to 30km inside its southern border would constitute a catastrophic escalation of the regional conflict.

Spain has positioned itself as one of Europe's most critical voices regarding Israeli policy, implementing concrete measures to oppose what Sanchez has called Israel's 'genocidal war on Gaza.'

The Spanish parliament approved a permanent arms embargo on Israel in October 2025, banning the sale of weapons, dual-use technology, and military equipment in response to the genocide.

El Mundo

Earlier this month, the Spanish government withdrew its ambassador to Israel, signaling rising diplomatic tensions over Israeli actions.

Sanchez has consistently condemned the US-Israel attack on Iran as 'unjustifiable' and described Spain's stance on the conflict as being summed up in 'four words: no to the war.'

Despite a ceasefire in place since October 2025, Israel has killed more than 800 Palestinians in almost daily breaches of the Trump-brokered truce.

Israel's preparations for a major military operation in Lebanon have drawn widespread international condemnation.

“MADRID, March 25 (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday it was unjust for citizens worldwide to bear the cost of what he called illegal U”

marketscreener

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel's military was 'following the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoon' in Lebanon, two cities in Gaza that were completely destroyed during the genocidal war.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich went even further, calling for Israel's official annexation of southern Lebanon and declaring that 'a change of Israel's borders' was necessary.

These plans have prompted strong reactions from other nations, with Canada warning that Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity 'must not be violated.'

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot cautioned that an Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon would have 'a dire effect on civilians.'

Sanchez's anti-war stance has created significant domestic political divisions in Spain while also drawing an unusual response from Iran.

Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo mocked Sanchez in parliament, suggesting he was behaving like an opposition figure to a government from 23 years ago.

Middle East Eye

Feijóo questioned how Sanchez could represent 'a respectable value like defending peace when Iranian propaganda is plastering your face on war missiles.'

Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guard has been plastering photos of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on missiles fired at Israel, according to Iran's state-controlled news agency Tasnim.

The video shows soldiers attaching a poster with Sanchez's photograph and a thank-you message written in both English and Persian, paraphrasing one of Sanchez's quotes about the war being 'illegal and inhuman.'

The escalating regional conflict has inflicted severe economic damage on Spain, with Sanchez warning that citizens worldwide are unfairly bearing the cost of what he called illegal U.S. and Israeli actions in Iran.

“Skip to main content Home Arab Gates Back Arab Gates Algeria Bahrain Djibouti Egypt Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Libya Mauritania Morocco Oman Palestine Qatar Saudi Somalia Sudan Syria Tunisia UAE Yemen MENA Back MENA African Horn Iran Israel Sahel Turkey Opinion Business Features Contact Us About Us * Privacy Policy مجلس حقوق الإنسان يعتمد قرارا يدين هجمات إيران على دول الخليج والأردن ويطالب بوقفها رئيس لجنة الإعلام في الحكومة الإيرانية: الأعداء وضعوا لأنفسهم قائمة برغبات لم يتمكنوا من تحقيقها وكلام ترامب محض أكاذيب إيران تتوعد باستهداف حاملة الطائرات الأميركية "ابراهام لينكولن" فور دخولها مدى صواريخها الكنيست يوافق على طلب الحكومة تمديد حالة الطوارئ بجميع أنحاء إسرائيل حتى 14 أبريل Custom Search | Sort by Relevance Date ---|--- Spanish PM warns Israel wants to inflict on Lebanon 'same destruction' as in Gaza Pedro says Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is an equally dictatorial and even more bloodthirsty tyrant than his father”

Middle East Online

The Spanish leader stated that Spanish companies have lost more than 100 billion euros in just one month of fighting — nearly 5 billion euros for each day of conflict.

Mint

'Every bomb that falls in the Middle East hits the wallets of our families,' Sanchez told lawmakers, explaining that Spain's aggregate market capitalization decline in the IBEX index since the conflict erupted on February 28 has reached this staggering figure.

In response, Spain's parliament is expected to vote on measures to help citizens weather the economic fallout, including lowering fuel and electricity taxes and granting fuel subsidies to sectors most exposed to energy price spikes.

The economic impact has been exacerbated by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime route for a fifth of the world's oil, which Iran has effectively shut down to all U.S. allies.