Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cautioned on Tuesday that the repercussions of Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon would be markedly different from previous military actions as the Netanyahu government may target his country, Anadolu Agency reported.
“The consequences of a ground operation in Lebanon will not resemble Israel’s past occupations,” he said during an address at the reopening of Türkiye’s parliament after its summer break, just hours after Israeli forces began their movement into Lebanon.
Erdogan condemned Israel’s actions in the region, labeling the ongoing situation in Gaza as “genocide” and criticising recent “terrorist attacks” in Lebanon that have resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands. He accused Israel’s government of attempting to incite conflict among regional countries.
He added that Israel’s actions have not received the “necessary and sufficient response from the world.”
While referring to the prolonged offensive in Gaza, which has led to over 41,600 deaths and more than 96,000 injuries, Erdogan said: “In the last 51 weeks, under the leadership of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, a figure compared to Hitler, the state of Israel has recklessly committed all crimes against humanity.”
Erdogan declared that “no matter what Israel does, it will be stopped sooner or later.” He cautioned that Israel’s ambitions extend beyond Palestine and Lebanon, suggesting that the Israeli government may eventually target Turkey itself.
He criticised the Israeli PM’s administration for its “delusional ambition,” which he claims includes aspirations for Anatolia and aims to create a utopian vision. He expressed concern over Israel’s strategy of establishing small satellite structures in northern Iraq and Syria, leveraging separatist groups as proxies.
While highlighting the severity of the situation, Erdogan stated, “Occupation, terror, and aggression are right next to us.” He characterised Israel not as a law-abiding state but as a “horde of killers” that thrives on violence and occupation.
Erdogan added that Israeli aggression poses a direct threat to Türkiye and vowed that his government would “oppose this state terrorism with all the means at our disposal” to safeguard the nation and its sovereignty.
