Turkey’s Foreign Ministry strongly denounced the attacks by Israel on United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL). It warned that Israel might try to expand its occupation beyond the Gaza Strip into Lebanese territory. In a statement issued Sunday, Turkey emphasised the growing need for UNIFIL’s presence in terms of maintaining stability and security in the region, not least in the wake of Israel’s recent escalation in Lebanon.

Turkey highlighted the fact that, in essence, actions from Israel fall within a larger scheme to expand the scale of military operations and occupations. “The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was mandated to contribute to an early restoration of international peace and security in the area. The role of UNIFIL has become even more important given Israel’s seemingly apparent motive to spread the conflict across the region,” according to the statement made by the ministry.

The Turkish government blamed Israel for deliberately targeting UN peacekeepers and accused the Netanyahu administration of pursuing an “aggressive military expansion.” “Israel’s continued attacks on UNIFIL are clear evidence of the Netanyahu government’s occupation agenda in Lebanon and its readiness to use force under any pretext,” the statement added.

Turkey’s foreign ministry immediately called upon the world community, including all members of the UN Security Council, to take emergency collective action to prevent further Israeli aggression. “Each member of the UN Security Council must prevent Israeli attacks on the very UN forces they deployed to maintain peace,” the statement warned.

Israeli Invasion and UNIFIL Reaction

The latest incident involving UNIFIL happened on Sunday. There, Israeli tanks allegedly broke through a gate of a UNIFIL post located on the Lebanese side of the border. This breach took place even after earlier action taken by the Israeli forces to cut off the movement of UN peacekeepers in the area served to cause some concern to voice that Israel was indifferent towards the international forces, which were based in southern Lebanon.

Israel’s invasion of the UN-controlled area comes at a time when tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group, continue to rise. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently issued a statement urging the United Nations to vacate peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, stating that Hezbollah had been using them as “human shields.” The call has been rejected, however, by UNIFIL, which claims that its presence still holds the region of blatant instability at bay.

Despite the pressures from the Israelis, UNIFIL has remained unyielding to retreat from its posts in southern Lebanon as a critical instrument in enforcing a deadline ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that was brought about by UN Security Council Resolution 1701. This resolution was created after the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 to end the confrontation.

Call by Turkey for Global Action

In a stern rebuke, Ankara spoke out against Israeli actions amid increasing regional tensions, where Turkey encourages the international community to be united in confronting what it views as Israeli aggression. The Turkish government called for an immediate end to Israeli military actions that endanger UN personnel and criticised countries that continue to provide arms to Israel.

“All nations must take a unified stance against Israeli aggression and the countries providing it with such weapons,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, reiterating the possibility that further escalation could destabilise the broader region.

Turkey’s statements are one of the increasingly loud opinions around the world concerning the military actions of Israel against Lebanon, where fear of war is at its peak. As the forces increase their military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon, international actors claim the situation should be de-escalated.

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