Spain condemns Israeli attacks on Lebanon, reopens Tehran embassy

Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Thursday accused Israel of violating international law and a newly brokered two-week ceasefire in the Middle East by carrying out airstrikes on Lebanon on Wednesday.

Spain has emerged as one of the most vocal critics among Western nations of U.S. and Israeli actions in Iran and Lebanon, closing its airspace to any aircraft involved in a conflict Madrid has called reckless and illegal.

"Yesterday we saw how Israel, flouting the ceasefire and in violation of international law, dropped hundreds of bombs on Lebanon," Albares told lawmakers in the lower house.

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.

-Reporting by David Latona and Emma Pinedo; Editing by Andrei Khalip/Reuters