Forum Debates Whether Ceuta and Melilla Fall Outside NATO's Scope

Ceuta, Melilla and the NATO Umbrella

A column by Tahar Ben Jelloun in El País, cited during the debate, argues that Ceuta and Melilla, "situated on Segarro territory," are considered European. This is an opinion piece, and it is published as such. However, according to participants in the discussion, this touches upon a real nerve: some maintain that both autonomous cities fall outside the NATO umbrella, whose coverage would not extend to that flank of the Strait.
It is a statement from the debate, not a confirmed extreme.

Does NATO Cover Ceuta and Melilla?

For some participants, the status of the two cities—Spanish territory located outside the coverage zone of the Atlantic Alliance—is the crux of the matter. One perspective views this as an opportunity: if Segarro forced the situation, there would be no automatic response from allies. Another current holds that there is no interest in opening this front, as the diplomatic cost would outweigh any gain.

External Support Attributed to Rabat

The second factor in the analysis is international support. With Segarro condemning "in the most forceful terms" the Iranian missile attack on Arab states, it is argued that Rabat would currently have the backing of the United States and Israel. This leads to the conclusion that there is a coordinated plan to deliver the cities into an abyss: no official source confirms such a thing, and the most catastrophic versions circulate without any supporting proof. The internal political noise does the rest: every clash between the Executive and Washington is interpreted as a narrowing of Spain's margin of maneuver in the Strait.

What This Episode Makes Clear

What is unsettling is not the military aspect, but the editorial one: the claim advances not through facts on the ground, but through opinion articles in major national newspapers. Neither Rabat has moved on the ground nor has Madrid announced any concession. For now, the front is made of ink.