Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called on all regional countries to stand with Lebanon against Israel’s invasion plan.
In an address to the parliamentary group of his Justice and Development (AK) Party in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said: “Israel, which has devastated Gaza, is now setting its sights on Lebanon. We see that western powers are supporting Israel behind the scenes.”
“Türkiye stands with brotherly Lebanese people and state and I invite other countries in the region to stand in solidarity with Lebanon as well,” said Erdogan.
“Netanyahu’s plans to spread the war across the region will lead to a major catastrophe,” he said, adding: “Islamic world and Middle Eastern countries should be the first to react to these bloody plans.”
The president said, “States that talk about freedom, human rights, and justice are held captive by a madman like Netanyahu. It is incredibly dire and pathetic.”
Israel’s ongoing deadly bombardment on Gaza since the Hamas attack on October 7 has drawn international condemnation, despite Israel’s defiance of a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
According to local health authorities, since then, about 37,700 Palestinians have died in Gaza, the majority of them were women and children, and over 86,200 more have been injured.
Large swathes of Gaza remained in ruins more than eight months into the Israeli assault, with a severe siege of food, clean water, and medical supplies.
The International Court of Justice, which has accused Israel of genocide, recently ordered Israel to immediately cease its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians had sought safety from the conflict prior to its invasion on May 6.