Spain Refutes Claims of Flag Removal from Disputed Mediterranean Islets

"Unexpectedly, the Spanish authorities have removed their flag from the islands of El Bar (land island) and El Bahar (sea island), located off the Moroccan Mediterranean coast, near the city of Al Hoceima. This action comes more than twenty years after the flag was hoisted on these small rocks, which had caused diplomatic tensions between Rabat and Madrid," several Moroccan media reported. The information was then taken up by several Spanish media and international media such as France 24 (Arabic version).

According to Newtral.es, the Spanish Ministry of Defense has provided an official denial of this information, assuring that it "is erroneous, as there have been no flags with high fabric or metal flagpoles on these islets for more than twenty years." "There has been no recent withdrawal of national symbols, nor any change in the situation or status of these islets," the ministry insisted.

For the record, the islets of El Bar and El Bahar are part of the Al Hoceima archipelago, just like the rock of Al Hoceima. The archipelago, under Spanish sovereignty, is located off the Moroccan coast, about 280 kilometers from the Iberian peninsula. It is under the command of the General Command of Melilla. The two islets, located just 50 meters from the Moroccan coast, are uninhabited. The rock of Al Hoceima, on the other hand, houses a military garrison.