Spain has closed its bases at Rota and Moron de la Frontera to U.S military aircraft and ships carrying weapons, ammunition and equipment for Israel.

Spanish sources under the conditions of anonymity stated that Rota and Moron are not a backdoor. They emphasised that both are Spanish bases under Spanish command.

The development comes as the U.S continues to supply a massive volume of weapons to Israel in its offensive on Gaza, where over 66,000 people have been killed, especially children.

Spanish officials said that though Spain respects its bilateral agreement with the U.S, controversial shipments like arms for Israel come under restrictions.

Spain does not directly inspect U.S cargo; however, officials say concealing it would undermine the trust between the allies.

They also said that the massive volume of such deliveries makes concealing them impractical.

An example they cited was the delivery this year of six F-35 fighter jets to Israel, which did not go through Spanish bases, but instead made stopovers in the Azores before crossing the Strait of Gibraltar.

Per the 1988 defence cooperation agreement, which was amended several times, US forces can operate from Spanish bases under certain conditions.

U.S aircraft which are deployed permanently in Spain can move freely; however, others have to get permission from the authorities.

The restrictions are applicable to naval operations as well, where port calls have to be reported and requested 5 days in advance.

While Spain does not inquire about standard weapons onboard, nuclear arms are barred under Spanish law since the 1986 NATO referendum.

The U.S State Department called measures introduced by PM Pedro Sanchez’s government to pressurise Israel, including denying Spanish airspace to flights for transporting defence material to the country, deeply concerning

Despite tensions, Madrid states that it has the right to deny authorising shipments which are politically sensitive.

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