Later in the day, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed Italy’s solidarity with Lebanon regarding “unjustified and unacceptable attacks it is suffering from Israel.”
“We want to prevent a second Gaza,” he added.
Italy summoned the Israeli ambassador — a diplomatic move used to express extreme dissatisfaction — to explain the incident. That option is no longer available to Spain, as Israel has already withdrawn its ambassador from Madrid, with the Spanish government following suit last month.
Israel’s diplomatic representation in Spain is handled by its chargé d’affaires, Dana Elrich, a lower-ranking official. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned Elrich “to protest the unjustifiable detention of a Spanish soldier from UNIFIL by the Israeli army.”
On Tuesday, the United Nations Force for Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that the Israel Defense Forces detained a peacekeeper — later confirmed by Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles to be a Spaniard — after “blocking a logistics convoy.” The UN mission added the individual was released “in less than an hour,” but that “any detention of a United Nations peacekeeper is a blatant violation of international law.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned Israeli operations in the region in a post on X: “Just today, Netanyahu launches his harshest attack against Lebanon since the offensive began. His contempt for life and international law is intolerable.”