ISTANBUL ,Türkiye -Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday accused Western powers of backing what he claimed were Israeli plans to attack Lebanon and “spread war” throughout the region.
“Israel is now setting its sights on Lebanon, and we see that Western powers behind the scenes are patting Israel on the back and even supporting them,” Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AKP party. He warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to expand the conflict would lead to “a great disaster.”
“It is pathetic that states that talk about freedom, human rights, and justice are captives of a mentally-ill person like Netanyahu,” Erdogan said.
These remarks come amid rising concerns over escalating threats and ongoing cross-border exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, fueling fears of a potential full-scale war.
The violence at the Lebanon border erupted following an unprecedented attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants, which triggered a massive Israeli retaliatory operation that is still ongoing.
Netanyahu has stated that Israeli forces are concluding the most intense phase of the Gaza conflict and will redeploy to the northern border, portraying the move as defensive. Last week, Israel announced that its plans for an offensive in Lebanon had been “approved and validated.”
Erdogan’s comments followed a warning from Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Greece and Cyprus about becoming involved in the Middle East conflict. Speaking to Haberturk TV on Monday, Fidan alleged that there was “serious militarization in southern Cyprus,” which was being used for “intelligence and military flights” towards Gaza, citing intelligence reports. Turkey, he said, had warned them against involvement.
“When you get involved in the ongoing wars in the Middle East, when you take sides, this fire will come and find you too,” Fidan stated.
Last week, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned Cyprus against allowing its airports and bases to be used by Israel to target Lebanon, threatening retaliation. The Cypriot government in Nicosia quickly denied any involvement in Israel’s Gaza operations, stating that it would not “become involved in any military conflicts.”
