MADRID - Spain has formally withdrawn its ambassador to Israel, leaving the Spanish Embassy in Tel Aviv to be headed by a charge d'affaires, the government said Wednesday in an official state bulletin.

The decision was approved during Tuesday's cabinet meeting upon a proposal by Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares. The move further downgrades diplomatic representation between the two nations.

Spain-Israel relations have remained strained in recent years. Spanish Ambassador Ana Salomon was recalled to Madrid for consultations in September 2025 after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez repeatedly criticized Israel's military campaign in Gaza and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responsively called the Spanish government "anti-Semitic."

ALSO READ: Iranian president lists preconditions for ending war with US, Israel

Israel has also been without a full ambassador in Madrid since May 2024, when it withdrew its envoy in protest after Spain officially recognized the State of Palestine.

After the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Sanchez has firmly voiced opposition to the escalation and refused to allow the U.S. military forces to use air bases in Spain.