The Spanish government decided on Monday to maintain its ban on transferring weapons and military equipment to Israel through its Rota and Morón bases in the southwest of the country, according to the Spanish daily El País, which cited sources familiar with the joint military coordination between Spain and the United States.

The Rota naval base is near the city of Cadiz on the Atlantic coast, while the Moron airbase lies close to Seville. Both bases are located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Although Rota is under Spanish sovereignty, it is mainly used by U.S. military forces in the region, where American pilots enjoy almost full freedom of movement compared to pilots from other countries, who must obtain prior authorisation to use the base.

“Rota and Morón are not a sieve,” sources told El País. “[They] are Spanish sovereign bases, under the command of a Spanish military officer, and everything that happens there must be authorised by the Spanish authorities,” the sources added.

They pointed to an incident earlier this year when the United States moved six F-35 fighter jets to Israel. Instead of using Spanish territory, the U.S. chose to stop at a Portuguese base on the Atlantic islands before continuing their journey through the Strait of Gibraltar towards Israel.