The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, appears at her own request this Wednesday at the Congressional Defense Committee report on the situation and activity of the Spanish army deployed in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in the context of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
UNIFIL, composed of 10,000 “blue helmets” including around 650 Spaniards and under the command of the Spanish general Aroldo Lazarooperates amid attacks by the Israeli army and the Shiite militia party, which intensified following the Jewish state’s offensive against the Gaza Strip and the West Bank following the Hamas massacre on October 7 .
Since then, the Spanish contingent has lived in a “tense and unpredictable” situation that forces it to spend time in bunkers, even though it tries to carry out its surveillance and mediation tasks normally.
The situation has further deteriorated since October 1, when Israeli armed forces launched a new invasion of Lebanon following several weeks of intense bombings and attacks on the country, including the coordinated explosion of thousands of communications devices Israelis. Hezbollah members.
In this context, the mission, which cannot use force, was the target of attacks in which several soldiers – none Spanish – were injured. The UN Security Council condemned the attacks and called on both sides to guarantee the safety of the “blue helmets”. In this context, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahueven asked the UN to evacuate the mission, which the organization refused.
Robles and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union (EU) and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Albaresreiterated that there are no plans to withdraw the Spanish contingent from Lebanon, although the decision corresponds to the UN. Regardless, they have always expressed Spain’s commitment to this mission. However, they confirmed that, as with the Spaniards present in Lebanon, there is also an evacuation plan planned in case it is necessary to expel them. Since the start of the mission, 15 Spanish soldiers have died in Lebanon.
Robles’ appearance, during which he will also report on the development of other operations of the armed forces abroad, coincides with the relief of the contingent in Lebanon. The “Guzmán El Bueno” Brigade YO.
The PP and Vox had also registered requests for appearance by the minister to address the situation of Spanish troops in Lebanon and the need to maintain the Spanish presence there, given the deteriorating situation in the region.
Protection of the Red Sea
Robles will also visit the Congressional Defense Committee to report on more issues within his jurisdiction. The PP requested his appearance to address the “disparity of criteria“between the United States Government and the Department of Defense on the mission to protect the Red Sea; the commitments that Spain will assume within the framework of NATO’s Operation Sea Guardian; the criteria adopted by the government to bring Afghans to Spain as part of the evacuation operation from Afghanistan after the capture of Kabul by the Taliban; and increasing defense investment to 2% of GDP to meet the NATO commitment.
The government ruled out from the start participating in the “Guardian of Prosperity” operation aimed at guaranteeing the security of maritime traffic in the Red Sea in the face of attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, launched by the United States, and after Washington announced the participation of Spain. First of all.
After this, the EU proposed to modify the mandate of the naval operation “Atalanta” against piracy in the Indian Ocean – led and in which only Spain participated – to contribute to the mission launched by the United States , but Spain blocked this decision. He argued that it was necessary to preserve “Atalanta” due to the increase in acts of piracy in this region and always defended that an operation in the Red Sea must have “own entity“, with its scope, its means and its own objectives, cannot be “a simple extension” of the European “Atalanta” and that Spain is not opposed to the creation of a new one.
The base of Mahón
Regarding NATO’s Sea Guardian operation, it is predictable that the PP will question the Minister of Defense about the role of the Mahón base (Menorca) in the operation. In addition, Podemos had registered a request for Robles to appear in court which goes in the same direction.
Reports suggest that Mahón is the NATO’s third naval base in Spain – with Rota and Cartagena – and would participate in the mission, focused on understanding the maritime environment to deter and fight against terrorism and whose area of action is limited to the international waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the surroundings of the Strait of Gibraltar. But the Ministry of Defense clarified that such an extreme was not envisaged, “beyond its current role as a specific port of call for the permanent Alliance fleets”.
Spain contributes to the Sea Guardian mission with, among others, a submarine in two periods of 45 days – one per semester -, a high-altitude patrol boat ready to put to sea within 48 hours of the request and a ship command staff with a staff. on board and available to carry out an operation.
Regarding the evacuation from Afghanistan, the PP wants to ask Robles what criteria the government followed to decide which Afghans to evacuate, after the publication of information suggesting that some of the evacuees have links to jihadism.
Finally, the minister will also discuss the actions launched by the Ministry of Defense to mitigate the effects of DANA in the Valencian Community, which caused more than 200 deaths and countless material damage, at the request of Vox.
