‘The escalation in the region is alarming,’ said Fidan
Ahmed HASAN
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ADDS Turkish defence ministry source
Turkey on Thursday accused Israel of seeking to expand the war in Gaza to Lebanon with the “alarming” wave of deadly explosions that swept though Hezbollah strongholds.
“The escalation in the region is alarming,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on state-run TRT television. “We see Israel mounting its attacks towards Lebanon step by step.”
The blasts have killed 32 people in two days, including two children, wounding more than 3,000 others, according to Lebanese health ministry figures.
Israel has not commented on the unprecedented operation in which Hezbollah operatives’ walkie-talkies and pagers exploded in supermarkets, at funerals and on streets.
But its defence minister Yoav Gallant, referring to Israel’s border with Lebanon, said Wednesday: “The centre of gravity is moving northward.”
Turkey blamed Israel for the blasts.
“We have come to a point where these operations carried out by Israel have become increasingly provocative, and in return, Iran, Hezbollah and elements close to them have no choice but respond,” Fidan said.
Hezbollah is an ally of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been fighting a war in Gaza since its October 7 attack on Israel.
For nearly a year, the focus of Israel’s firepower has been on Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas.
But its troops have also been engaged in near-daily clashes with Hezbollah militants along its northern border, killing hundreds in Lebanon, most of them fighters, and dozens more in Israel.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati to offer his condolences over the wave of deadly blasts.
Erdogan is a vocal critic of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
Fidan, who was head of Turkey’s spy agency before being appointed foreign minister, said of the method of mass explosions: “This is something that intelligence organisations use very often.
“But this one was on a large scale,” he added. Israel’s campaign risked extending beyond the entire region, he warned.
“While we are currently thinking about Lebanon, there is always a risk of a war that may involve Jordan, Egypt, and the entire region,” he said.
“Does Israel want permanent peace or does it want to eliminate everything it sees a threat by using classical war methods?” he asked.
“Currently, the fanatic government in Israel is pursuing a strategy to eliminate all threats,” he added.
“The international system needs to stop this before it is too late. This madness does not only harm Palestinians but also hijacks Israelis’ future.”
Fidan, who has pursued an intense diplomatic push to facilitate a ceasefire, joined a meeting to discuss the Gaza crisis in Jordan Wednesday.
Asked if Turkey’s military had taken measures after the latest blasts, a defence ministry source said the armed forces used only local and national communications systems and software.
“We review measures and develop new ones as part of lessons we learn from the operations we carry out and after developments including the war in Ukraine and (blasts) in Lebanon,” the source added.
