Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned on Tuesday the ground offensive announced by Israel in Lebanon and promised that Israel would be stopped “sooner or later” during an intervention before the Turkish parliament.
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“All states and international organizations, especially the UN, must stop Israel without wasting any more time,” he said at the inaugural session of parliament in Ankara.
“The Muslim world must also stand alongside the people and government of Lebanon in the defense of their homeland,” he continued.
For the Turkish president, “the consequences of the land operation against Lebanon will not be the same as those of past occupations.”
“We are facing a series of brutal occupations that aim to set the entire region on fire,” he continued, referring to an extension of the conflict to his own country.
“If Palestine and Lebanon are not safe, can you believe you are? We clearly see that Israel’s aggression also targets Turkey,” he said.
While the situation on the ground is deteriorating, Ankara was simultaneously preparing to evacuate its nationals from Lebanon and “those from around twenty countries who have requested our support,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday evening.
“Those who wish to be evacuated can make themselves known.”
According to a source at the ministry, 14,000 Turkish nationals are registered with the consulate in Beirut.
The ministry’s “Coordination and Support Center” is now operational to supervise operations, he announced, giving a telephone number (+90 312 292 29 29).
Other countries simply asked to be able to use “Türkiye’s ports and airports and airspace to evacuate their own” nationals.
