Turkish FM: Israel would spread Gaza war to wider region

Turkish foreign minister said on Saturday that Israel is drawing both itself and its allies into a major conflict. Fidan pointed out that Israel will not stop after Gaza and will also move into Lebanon.

Speaking to state broadcaster TRT Haber in New York, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also said Türkiye believed Israel would not stop in Lebanon and would spread the war in Gaza to the wider region.

He said the "helplesness" of the United States and other Western countries was allowing the violence to continue.
"It is troubling that 'all of the US' power is at Israel's disposal'. There is a desire within Israel, including Netanyahu, for the war to spread to region," Fidan said in a statement.

Hezbollah and Israel continued cross-border warfare since the Gaza war last October, but Tel Aviv recently escalated its offensive in Lebanon, killing hundreds, displacing thousands and also assassinating the group's leader Nasrallah. The conflict could escalate further, as there are fears of an Israeli military ground invasion.

Fidan characterized the ongoing situation in Gaza, where more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion, as a "tragedy," but said if there is greater tragedy than this, it is hypocrisy and inefficiency of the international system.

He said the conflict had showed us that international institutions, including the UN, are not functioning, highlighting an urgent need for reform.

He said that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Türkiye has been proactive in advocating for peace. "Türkiye is not confined to either Western or Eastern axis," Fidan said, arguing that Ankara will continue to move forward with a constructive approach in the region.

The top Turkish diplomat also underscored the importance of establishing an independent Palestine, saying the Gaza Contact Group, established at a joint summit of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League in Saudi Arabia last November, continues to take up the matter.