Erdoğan warns of escalating 'ring of fire' in region

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has cautioned that the Middle East is edging toward a "ring of fire" due to escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah.

"We call on all countries with conscience to put more pressure on the Israeli government," Erdoğan said at a joint press conference with his Senegalese counterpart, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in Ankara on Oct. 31.

Israel’s continued strikes and Hezbollah’s retaliations signal the region’s slide into "a very serious ring of fire," he stated.

"Unfortunately, the process that follows will be much more difficult in the region," Erdoğan said, expressing hope that the U.N. could bring the situation under control. "We will all work together to do this."

Erdoğan framed Türkiye's stance as a "fraternal and humanitarian duty" to support Palestinians and Lebanese amid the conflicts.

"Those who seek security through oppression will be dragged into a much greater vortex of insecurity," he added.

After meeting with Faye, the leaders witnessed the signing of four bilateral agreements covering education, energy, agriculture and environmental cooperation. They also established a high-level strategic cooperation council to bolster ties between Türkiye and Senegal.

"Senegal is one of the countries with which we have the closest relations in western Africa and which contributes the most to the stability and well-being of the African continent," Erdoğan remarked. "We share the same stance on many issues."

He praised Senegal’s approach to the Palestinian issue, grounded in a two-state solution, as "extremely valuable."

Faye echoed Erdoğan’s sentiments, adding that while Türkiye and Senegal enjoy a successful partnership, there is potential for expanded collaboration.

"We can expand our partnership in different sectors," Faye said. "We can strengthen joint ventures and make them long-term."

He condemned the situation in Gaza as a "violation of international law" and urged the U.N. to "pursue a more just and equitable global order."

Hezbollah has been firing thousands of rockets, drones and missiles into Israel and drawing fierce Israeli retaliatory strikes since last year's Hamas attack out of the Gaza Strip triggered a devastating war in the Palestinian enclave.

Over the past year, the broadening Israeli campaign in Lebanon against Hezbollah has killed 2,865 people there, wounded over 13,000 and devastated Lebanese towns near the border.

Some 1.2 million people in Lebanon have been displaced since Israel escalated the conflict into a full-blown war last month, when it launched a wave of heavy airstrikes that killed Hezbollah’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and most of his deputies.

A year of Hezbollah rocket attacks have also forced 60,000 Israelis to evacuate from near the border.