Turkey Condemns Israel's Actions in Lebanon, Citing Destabilization

ISTANBUL, June 1. /TASS/. Turkey strongly condemns Israel's aggressive actions in Lebanon, accusing it of seeking to destabilize the region, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

"We strongly condemn Israel’s expansion of its occupation in Lebanon. It appears that the Netanyahu government, as it has done in Gaza, aims to make occupied areas uninhabitable, thereby forcing Lebanese people into permanent displacement. Through its expansionist and aggressive policies, Israel is undermining efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region and further worsening the humanitarian situation," the statement notes.

"The international community, particularly the UN Security Council, must take concrete steps without delay to bring an end to Israel’s attacks and occupation in Lebanon," the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated.

On May 29, Netanyahu announced that Israeli army units in southern Lebanon had crossed the Litani River in several areas and were already operating north of it. He claimed that Israeli forces were achieving "very impressive results" in these areas.

Since April 17, a formal ceasefire has been in effect between the Shiite organization Hezbollah and Israel, but the two sides have continued to regularly exchange isolated strikes in border areas along the Lebanese-Israeli border. On May 25, Netanyahu announced that he had ordered an intensification of strikes against Hezbollah targets in response to increased drone attacks on Israeli territory.