Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan demands an end to Israeli strikes on Lebanon, warning of state collapse and regional destabilisation.
ANKARA: Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has called for an immediate end to Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon, warning that the attacks must stop before the Lebanese state collapses.
Fidan made the remarks during a joint news conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul on Thursday, stating that such a collapse would profoundly affect the entire region, especially neighbouring countries.
“The government of (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is at the heart of every crisis in the region,” Fidan told reporters.
He accused Israel of exploiting the current war to bring what he termed a “dirty war” into Lebanon while pursuing an expansionist policy.
Fidan also condemned the mass displacement of people in Lebanon as absolutely unacceptable.
Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East conflict last week when the Hezbollah group attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in strikes blamed on the US and Israel.
Israel has since launched air raids and sent ground troops into border areas, continuing strikes that had persisted despite a 2024 ceasefire.
According to Lebanese authorities, the violence has killed more than 687 people, while more than 800,000 have registered as displaced.
