Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a clear stance: “Turkey stands with the brotherly people and state of Lebanon”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey stands in solidarity with Lebanon as tensions with Israel rise and called on regional countries to also support Beirut.

Cross-border hostilities between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have escalated in recent weeks, fueling fears of a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Shelling along Israel’s northern border has led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from areas on both sides of the border.

In a speech to parliamentary deputies of his AK Party, Erdogan said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned to extend Israel’s war in Gaza to the region.

“It seems that Israel has set its sights on Lebanon after destroying and burning Gaza. We see Western countries supporting Israel behind the scenes,” Erdogan said and continued:

“Netanyahu’s plans to expand the war in the region will lead to a great catastrophe.”

Erdogan added that Western support for Israel is lamentable.

“Turkey stands with the brotherly people and state of Lebanon. I call on other countries in the region to stand in solidarity with Lebanon,” he said.

Erdogan’s office said late Wednesday that the president had a phone conversation with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and reiterated the message that Turkey stands with Lebanon “against Israel’s aggressive policies.”

“The President said during the call that Israeli aggression must be stopped as soon as possible,” the statement said.

Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the Turkish government saw the risk of the conflict spreading while commenting on the tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

When asked about the threat Hezbollah posed to Cyprus, an EU member closest to Lebanon, Fidan urged Cyprus to stay away from the conflict.

“Turkey has intelligence reports showing that Cyprus has become a base for military and reconnaissance flights over Gaza by certain countries,” Fidan said in an interview with the private television channel Haberturk.

Cyprus has stated that it is not involved in the conflict in any way. It has lobbied its EU partners to offer financial aid to Lebanon and has recently established a maritime corridor for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to Hina.