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Türkiye condemned Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon on Tuesday, calling it a violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity and labeling it an unlawful act of occupation.
“This attack must be halted immediately, and Israeli soldiers must withdraw from Lebanese territory,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said.
The statement said that the attack targets not only the security and stability of countries in the region but also those outside the region.
As a result of this dangerous occupation attempt, it is highly likely that a new wave of migration will emerge and extremists around the world will gain ground, the ministry warned.
“It should not be forgotten that these developments will also affect the countries that provide political support and weapons to Israel,” it said.
The ministry called on the U.N. Security Council to uphold international law and take necessary measures against the offensive.
The statement emphasized that every crime committed by Israel is “a blow to international law and the U.N. Charter.”
It also highlighted that the primary step to restore calm in the region is to “establish an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza,” stressing that bringing peace to Gaza is the responsibility of all humanity.
Hundreds of Lebanese fled their areas south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.
The United Nations, meanwhile, warned Israel on Tuesday against a “large-scale ground invasion” of Lebanon, after the military began a ground assault.
“With armed violence between Israel and Hezbollah boiling over, the consequences for civilians have already been terrible,” Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the U.N. rights office, told reporters in Geneva.
“We fear a large-scale ground invasion by Israel into Lebanon would only result in greater suffering,” she warned amid reports of the Israeli ground operation.
Main roads were jammed with fleeing civilians after the Israeli army declared areas south of the Litani River a “military zone,” according to media reports.
The army earlier ordered Lebanese civilians to avoid driving south of the Litani until further notice.
The warning followed a military declaration of launching “limited and targeted” ground operations in southern Lebanon.
Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 1,057 people and injuring over 2,950 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.
The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.
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