Israel aims to spread war to region: Turkish FM

ISTANBUL

Israel’s aim is to spread the war to the region after its massive operations against Lebanon, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has warned, renewing Ankara’s calls on the international community to stop the bloodshed in the Middle East.

Fidan, in an interview with the TRT over the weekend, recalled that Israel’s attacks on Lebanon were not a surprise to many international actors who are closely following the developments.

“To where will Israel take this operation next year? What targets will it aim to destroy using this momentum? We will see it all together. But what is obvious is the fact that Israel, [Prime Minister Benjyamin] Netanyahu and his cabinet have a serious intention to advance the conflict,” Fidan said.

Fidan recalled that Ankara has been assessing this escalation since the early days of the Israeli-Hamas war and urging the international community, particularly the United States and other members of the U.N. Security Council, to take action.

The minister described the silence and inefficiency of the international community in stopping the Israeli massacres as frightening. He also blamed the U.N. Security Council for the continuation of the mass killing of women and children in Gaza and Israel’s assassination of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders at the expense of throwing the region into a bigger risk.

“Nasrallah was an important regional figure. He was important for Lebanon. I think it will be difficult to replace his place. Nasrallah’s death is an important loss for both Hezbollah and Iran,” he stated.

“Israel has come to Lebanon after reaching its goals in Gaza. Where will it lead after Lebanon and what targets will it pursue? We have some projections, but I’ll keep those to ourselves for now," the minister added.

On a question about his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Fidan said they discussed the lifting of embargos against Türkiye in the field of defense industry through the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

“This CAATSA issue has become an item that ruins our allied relationship between Türkiye and the U.S. We should leave this behind,” he said.

The U.S. had imposed sanctions on Türkiye in 2019 after the latter purchased and deployed the S-400 air defense system from Russia. Washington has also excluded Türkiye from the F-35 fifth-generation fighter jet program.

“I see a positive stance on this issue [after meeting with U.S. senators]. There are various proposals over this issue,” he said without getting into details.

The U.S. wants Türkiye to end the possession of the S-400 systems on its territories. In such a case, it signals Türkiye’s return to the F-35 program.