FALCON POWERS – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that his country stands in solidarity with Lebanon amid the escalating tension with Israel, and called on regional countries to also support Beirut.
Tensions have escalated across the border between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, raising fears of an all-out war between them. Cross-border fire along Israel’s northern frontier has led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border. Erdogan told members of his (Justice and Development) party that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to expand the Gaza war in the region.
He added, “It appears that Israel has shifted its focus to Lebanon after destroying and burning Gaza. We believe that Western countries are supporting Israel behind the scenes.”
Erdogan pointed out that “Netanyahu’s plans to expand the war in the region will lead to a major disaster,” adding that Western support for Israel is “regrettable.”
He said, “Turkey stands by the brotherly (Lebanese) people and the brotherly state of Lebanon. I call on other countries in the region to show solidarity with Lebanon.”
Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during remarks on the tension between Israel and Hezbollah that the Turkish government senses the danger of the conflict escalating.
In response to a question about Hezbollah’s threat to Cyprus, the EU’s closest country to Lebanon, Fidan called on Cyprus to “distance itself” from the conflict.
Fidan said in an interview with the private Turkish television channel Haber Turk that Turkey has intelligence reports showing that Cyprus has become a base for military and reconnaissance flights over Gaza organized by “certain countries.” Cyprus said it is “not involved in any way” in the conflict. It has also pressured its EU partners to provide financial aid to Lebanon and recently established a maritime corridor to send humanitarian aid to Gaza.
