Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday called on the international community to stop selling weapons to Israel, condemning the shooting of Israeli military personnel at the General Headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon.
Israeli forces opened fire on an observation post used by UN peacekeepers, as two "blue helmets" were injured, the agency specifies. The announcement added that for the third day in a row, Israeli soldiers shelled their positions while carrying out a ground operation in Lebanese territory aimed at the local Shiite group "Hezbollah," Reuters reported.
None of the Spanish military personnel who are part of this UN mission were injured, the Spanish Ministry of Defense said.
The kingdom has sent 650 peacekeepers under the command of a general to UNIFIL.
"Allow me at this moment to criticize and condemn the attacks that the Israeli armed forces are carrying out against the UN mission in Lebanon," said the Prime Minister of Spain after a meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican. Spain is critical of Israel regarding the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
Sanchez noted that Spain stopped selling weapons to Israel last October and called on the rest of the world to do the same to prevent further escalation of tensions in the region.
"I think that with what is happening in the Middle East, it is extremely imperative that the international community stop the export of arms to the Israeli government,", the Spanish Prime Minister added.
bd-pratidin/GR
