A sudden surge of migrants into Spain's African enclave of Ceuta looks staged, and suspicion is falling on Morocco with possible backing from the US and Israel — bad news for Spanish leader Pedro Sanchez.

• Around 60,000 migrants suddenly poured over the border into Ceuta, a tiny Spanish city surrounded by Morocco, many arriving on trucks and urged on by Facebook posts and Moroccan officials saying the border was open.
• Spanish police reportedly found Moroccan intelligence agents among the crowd, pointing to an organized push rather than a spontaneous wave.
• Morocco feels emboldened after cozying up to Trump, who recognized its claim over Western Sahara; a US bill even labeled Ceuta as Moroccan, and Morocco named a highway after Trump.
• Israel has openly attacked Spain over this, angry at Sanchez for condemning the Gaza and Iran wars and blocking US planes from Spanish bases; controlling the Strait of Gibraltar also matters for Israeli shipping now that the Red Sea route is risky.
• Using migrants as political weapons is a known tactic — seen with Belarus pushing people into Poland and Turkey squeezing the EU.

Outlook: Sanchez has expelled most of the migrants and faces a tough general election next year, with his weak coalition and an unpopular migrant amnesty leaving him exposed to a right-wing backlash.