Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has accused Israel and Russia, along with international far-right groups, of spreading disinformation on social media that helped fuel last month’s massive migrant surge into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, where more than 70,000 people crossed the border in just two days.

Sánchez said his allegations were based on research by the European Union’s diplomatic service, which found that Russian and Israeli networks circulated false claims portraying Spain as having lost control of its borders. Among the claims was a distorted account of a Spanish Supreme Court ruling suggesting that migrants who entered Ceuta by swimming could not be returned.

According to Sánchez, the disinformation campaign was aimed at attacking Spain over its positions on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

However, Sánchez said there was no evidence that Morocco was involved in triggering the unprecedented wave of crossings and praised Moroccan authorities for quickly cooperating with Spain to bring the situation under control.

That position drew sharp criticism from members of Sánchez’s own left-wing coalition. Sumar lawmaker Alberto Ibáñez called the accusations against Israel and Russia “not credible” while criticizing Sánchez for defending Morocco. Party spokesperson Verónica Barbero also criticized the government’s reluctance to blame Rabat and accused it of failing to show sufficient concern for residents of Ceuta.

Official figures presented by Sánchez show that more than 90% of the migrants who crossed into Ceuta have since been returned to Morocco. Around 5,000 remain in the city, including approximately 1,200 unaccompanied minors.

European Commission officials and intelligence agencies have also identified activity by Russian-linked actors and human-smuggling networks that circulated similar content aimed at destabilizing Europe.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)