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Türkiye is prepared to execute a potential evacuation of Turkish citizens from Lebanon by air and sea, and is coordinating with around 20 countries to facilitate the evacuation of foreign nationals, the Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.
The security conditions in Lebanon could deteriorate as Israel launched a ground incursion into south Lebanon, the ministry said, adding that a coordination center had been set up to handle evacuation requests in line with the plans made by Turkish institutions.
The invasion escalated the conflict after a week of intense Israeli airstrikes that killed hundreds. The assault came as Israel targeted south Beirut, Damascus and Gaza, despite international calls for restraint to avoid a regional conflagration.
“The guidelines for the evacuation of foreign nationals via our country have also been set, the necessary preparations are being carried out with around 20 countries that have requested support so far,” the ministry said. Media reports say Türkiye readied airplanes and vessels for swift evacuation. The country is experienced in such evacuation operations as seen in trips organized for evacuations during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the Palestine-Israel conflict erupted, it also organized the evacuation of injured Gazans. Sabah newspaper reported that there are about 14,000 Turkish citizens registered with Turkish diplomatic missions in Lebanon but most did not request evacuation.
Separately, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said in a written statement on Wednesday that they had upgraded the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) to three for Turkish-flagged vessels at the Lebanese ports or near those ports. It is the highest security alert that includes early warnings for vessels and requirement of their own readiness for security threats.
Earlier on Tuesday, Türkiye condemned Israel’s offensive as an “unlawful invasion attempt” and called for the withdrawal of its troops.
“This attack must end as soon as possible and Israeli soldiers must withdraw from Lebanese territory,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Ankara warned that it is likely to trigger a new wave of migrants.
“As a result of this dangerous invasion attempt, it is highly likely that a new wave of migration will emerge and extremists will gain ground all over the world,” the ministry said.
It urged the U.N. Security Council to “comply with international law and take the necessary measures.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged the United Nations and other international organizations to stop Israel without “wasting any more time.”
“Whatever it does, Israel will be stopped sooner or later,” Erdoğan told Parliament at the opening of the legislative year.
“All state and international organizations, especially the U.N., must stop Israel without wasting any more time,” he added.
Erdoğan said “the terror and genocide” Israel has carried out in Gaza has reached Lebanon and warned if not stopped, the Israeli leadership would set its sights on Türkiye.
“I openly say that the Israeli leadership, acting with the delirium of the promised land and with a purely religious fanaticism, will set its sights on our homeland after Palestine and Lebanon,” he said, again comparing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler.
“Just as Hitler, who saw himself in a giant mirror, was stopped, Netanyahu will be stopped in the same way,” Erdoğan said.
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