Diplomatic Rift: Spain vs. Israel Over Controversial Comments

Amid escalating diplomatic tensions, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called in Israel's top diplomat in Madrid on Friday. The move came in response to comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office regarding Spain.

Albares expressed a strong disapproval of what he termed 'false and slanderous' accusations, after Netanyahu's office accused Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of making 'genocidal threats'. The allegations stemmed from Sanchez's recent decision to impose new restrictions on arms and fuel deliveries bound for Israel.

Sanchez defended the measures by citing Spain's lack of nuclear capabilities, which limits its leverage to pressure Israel into halting actions considered as 'genocide'. The U.S. State Department has also voiced concern over the restrictions and entry bans imposed by Madrid.