The proverbial ink wasn’t even dry on the ceasefire deal brokered by Pakistan, before Israel tried to blow it all to smithereens. Among the sharpest attacks on Israel’s bombing of Lebanon have come from the Spanish and Italian governments. [Reuters reports](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/spain-condemns-israeli-attacks-lebanon-reopens-tehran-embassy-2026-04-09/ ) that Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told parliamentarians in Madrid today: “Yesterday we saw how Israel, flouting the ceasefire and in violation of international law, dropped hundreds of bombs on Lebanon.” Earlier on Thursday, Albares announced that Spain would reopen its embassy in Tehran in hopes of achieving peace in the region. “I’ve instructed our ambassador in Tehran to return, to take up his post again and reopen our embassy, and for us to join in this effort for peace from every possible quarter, including from the Iranian capital itself,” Albares told reporters.
The Italian government was also harsh. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that “We have come within a step of the point of no return, but we now face a fragile prospect of peace that must be pursued with determination.” She also decried “bombings on the Lebanese civilian population,” and said that Israel had “disrespected” the two-week ceasefire with Iran by carrying out the strikes.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote on X Wednesday evening that he’d spoken by phone with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and “expressed the solidarity of the Italian Government for the unjustified and unacceptable attacks he is suffering from Israel.” He added: “We want to avoid there being a second Gaza.” He said the Foreign Ministry had summoned the Israeli ambassador: “We will reiterate this concept to the Israeli Ambassador as well, whom I have summoned to the Farnesina [the Italian foreign ministry’s headquarters].... We must absolutely avoid any further expansion of the conflict that would jeopardize the ceasefire in Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,” Tajani added.
