SPAIN PERSPECTIVE

Madrid, June 20, 2026. Less than thirty minutes after the Lebanese ceasefire took effect, four major airstrikes still pounded southern Lebanon according to ElDiario.es — a sequence that encapsulates, in the view of Spanish media, the fundamental instability of the agreement announced by Washington. Negotiated by the United States and Qatar in direct coordination with Israel and Iran, the text came into force at 4 p.m. local time according to a senior American official. The Lebanese government, meanwhile, counted at least 47 deaths and 97 wounded in Israeli strikes on Friday, described as violations of the accord's terms.

ElDiario.es recalls that Iran had warned for weeks that the Lebanese front constituted one of its red lines capable of derailing the accord with Washington. Two Hezbollah sources cited by Reuters stated the group had begun respecting the truce upon notification — but Israel maintains its troops in southern Lebanon and conditions any withdrawal on security guarantees.

It is against this backdrop that statements by Itamar Ben Gvir drew full attention. The National Security Minister, described as ultranationalist by ElDiario.es, posted on X: "For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep. Let all Lebanon burn!" He said he had conveyed this position to Netanyahu during private meetings, while calling to "go crazy, to annihilate, to crush terrorism" in the Middle East. Ben Gvir had opposed the US-Iran agreement in recent days and demonstrated hostility to any concessions regarding Lebanon.

HuffPost España dwells on another alarming signal: according to current and former American officials cited exclusively by the Washington Post, US intelligence agencies alerted the Trump administration to the likelihood that Israel will not honor the peace accord. The reason cited involves Netanyahu's political survival — national elections are scheduled for autumn — and intense pressure from ultranationalist movements within the governing coalition. According to this intelligence, Israel does not merely plan to maintain troops in Lebanon but may even seek to intensify combat against Hezbollah.

HuffPost España also emphasizes the public fracture between Tel Aviv and Washington, reporting remarks by Vice President JD Vance, who openly criticized Israel: "I would not attack the only powerful ally I have left in the entire world," he said, noting that the Hebrew state has nine million inhabitants and cannot solve its security problems "through violence." Trump himself had demanded a halt to strikes on Lebanon to unlock a broader accord with Tehran. The technical meeting scheduled in Switzerland to develop the memorandum was canceled — Iran refusing to participate as long as bombs continue falling on Lebanon.