Spain Scraps Plan to Deploy Eurofighters in Canary Islands, Citing Morocco Concerns

The pressure from Morocco and Spain’s fear of creating new tension with the kingdom have led the Spanish government to backtrack at the last minute on its decision to send these fighter jets to the Canary Islands as soon as they are received in 2026. Morocco, which claims this territory, could consider such an action as an "attack", which is why the Spanish Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, has already assured that these devices will no longer be deployed on the archipelago, reports Moncloa.

This about-face by the government of Pedro Sanchez has provoked the indignation of the Spanish armed forces, who denounce this "cowardly" attitude of the head of the Executive who is so afraid of tarnishing his good relations with Morocco. It is this excessive fear that also pushed him to change his position on the Sahara to end the long diplomatic crisis with the kingdom. Thus, the fighter jets that will be sent to the Canary Islands will have a shorter range than the Eurofighters to reassure Morocco.

Meanwhile, Spanish military sources warn that Morocco has deployed F-16s near the Canary Islands.