2023-10-09 13:46:48
The guerra that deliver from Saturday Israel i Hamaswhat over a thousand dead, is already showing its consequences in the rest of the world, both on a geopolitical scale and in the daily lives of citizens. I Spain is not an exception. These are some of the effects it is causing or could be triggered in the near future:
The Spanish contingent in Lebanon, on alert
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has alerted the UNIFILEthe United Nations Interim Force in Lebanonwhich confirmed an intense exchange of rockets and pipes in the early hours of Sunday between militiamen of Hezbol·is and the Israeli Army in the area of Kfarchouba, in southern Lebanon, and only 16 kilometers from the main quartering of Spanish blue helmetsthe Miguel de Cervantes base, reports Juan Jose Fernandez.
The collisions took place on the denominated Blue Line or separation zone patrolled by the blue helmets on a peacekeeping mission.
The soldiers who are part of the contingent of blue helmets in the affected areas – 650 of them Spanish, most of them paratroopers from the Almogàvers VI Brigade – are “in their positions”, according to the UNIFIL command. Its bases have bomb shelters conditioned under the floor. No personal injuries have been reported at this time.
The Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, is “in permanent contact” with the headquarters of the mission, commanded by a Spaniard, General Aroldo Lázaro.
Currently, UNIFIL includes 10,300 military and 800 civilians from 46 countries.
UNIFIL assured this Monday that all the forces are “fully deployed”, and it came out in this way in the wake of rumors about a withdrawal that spread on Sunday afternoon.
Of all the missions with a military presence abroad, UNIFIL is so far the deployment that takes the most accumulated budget and personnel to the Spanish Armed Forces. The leadership of the eastern sector in the south of Lebanon, and now of the entire mission, is considered by government sources “an important link in Spanish Defense diplomacy in the Near East”, and the main nexus of friendship – and intelligence intelligence – with the Lebanese Government and one of the main ones with that of Israel.
The presence of the Spanish military in the area dates back to 2006, the year in which Congress authorized the sending of troops there under a UN mandate. Since then, 15 Spanish military personnel have been killed in this mission.
Oil price and impact on gas stations
One of the most immediate consequences of the current scald in the Middle East is the rebound in the price of oilwhich will probably soon move to the gas stations. The barrel of crude oil Brenta benchmark for Europe, climbed more than 3% this Monday, above $87, although in the first hour the impact was much greater, recording a rise of 5.2% above previous closing
In the case of crude oil West Texas Intermediatebenchmark for the United States, the price was up 3.50% from Friday’s close and was trading above $85.
“From the perspective of the market, it will be key if Iran he is drawn into the conflict and what will happen to oil prices in the coming weeks”, commented Mohit Kumar, chief economist for Europe at the American investment bank Jefferies, to the Reuters agency.
The potential escalation in oil prices could be yet another concern for central banks in their attempts to control the inflation. However, analysts do not expect them to deviate from their current trajectory unless the situation worsens. “Unless oil goes above $100 and stays there for a while, we don’t think recent events will alter the central bank’s reaction function,” Kumar added.
The vols in Israel have also been affected since the start of the Hamas offensive against Israel. Some flights between Spain and Tel Aviv have been canceled this Monday. Initially, a total of 10 flights were scheduled at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (five departures and five arrivals) and 11 at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-el Prat (five arrivals and six departures) bound for Tel Aviv. Until 8.45 in the morning, one departure from Madrid operated and there were four cancellations from Barcelona (two departures and two arrivals).
Air Europa has resumed operations after the cancellation of its service between Madrid and Tel Aviv this Sunday. Iberia Express, which suspended flights on Saturday and resumed them on Sunday, has reduced daily flights between the two capitals from two to one. However, the two companies have indicated that they will assess the situation continuously, always prioritizing the safety of the passengers and the crew, reports Efe.
On the other hand, Vueling, which suspended its service between Barcelona and Tel Aviv on Saturday, sent an empty plane there this Sunday to pick up both the passengers who could not travel the previous day and those who, having their tickets for the following days, wanted to return before in Spain. This company, which offers a daily flight to Israel, is still assessing the situation and has not decided whether it will operate tonight’s flight.
The Israeli flag carrier, El Alwhich also operates in Spain, said on Sunday it was maintaining its flights to Tel Aviv for now, although some codeshare flights have been cancelled.
Related news
He Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against traveling to Israel “given the existing risks and the possibility of flight cancellations” and has recommended those already in this country to contact airlines or travel agencies before traveling to the Airport of Ben-Gurion. Foreigners asks to increase precautions and follow the instructions of the local authorities, “and avoid any movement that is not absolutely necessary, and that they stay inside their homes or accommodation and near the shelters designated in their area”.
During the weekend, both the Spanish Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate General in Jerusalem, which is in charge of relations with the Palestinians, have made available emergency telephone numbers. The first one is +972 505.772.641 and the consulate, +972 599.276.538.
#war #Israel #Hamas #affect #Spain