“It seems that Israel, which devastated Gaza, is now setting its sights on Lebanon. We see that Western powers support Israel behind the scenes,” the Turkish president declared before his party’s deputies in parliament.
“Netanyahu’s plans to extend the war to the region will lead to a great disaster,” added the Turkish head of state, targeting the Israeli Prime Minister.
Benjamin Netanyahu indicated on Sunday that at the end of the “intense phase” of his offensive in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army will be “able to redeploy certain forces towards the north”, near the border with Lebanon, adding to fears of an extension of the conflict.
“It is extremely serious and pathetic that states which speak of freedom, human rights and justice are the captives of a mentally ill person like Netanyahu,” said Mr. Erdogan, calling on “other countries in the region to show solidarity from Lebanon”.
Since the start of the war on October 7 between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, pro-Iranian and pro-Hamas Hezbollah have exchanged daily fire on the border with the Israeli army, and this violence has recently increased in intensity. .
The United States warned on Tuesday that a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could trigger a regional war.
More than eight months of violence between Hezbollah and the Israeli army have left at least 481 dead in Lebanon, including a majority of Hezbollah fighters and 94 civilians, according to an AFP count.
On the Israeli side, at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians were killed, according to Israel.
