Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today accused Israel of planning to has spread the war in the Gaza Strip to the wider region amid fears that clashes with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia could escalate further, DPA reported.
"The attacks against Lebanon in recent days have confirmed our concern about the plans of the Israeli administration to spread the war in the region," Erdogan told journalists in Istanbul before leaving for New York to attend the UN General Assembly.
The region is facing a "huge crisis," said the Turkish president, who accused Israel of "carrying out attacks like a terrorist group," referring to the recent pager explosions used by Hezbollah in Lebanon, for which responsibility is widely attributed of Israel.
Israel's attacks in Lebanon are a "provocation" in order to impose a "radical Zionist ideology,", Erdogan also said.
His government has close ties to the Palestinian extremist group Hamas, which is an ally of Hezbollah, DPA notes.
The Turkish president called on the international community, especially Western countries, to "stop watching Israel's disgusting actions and take deterrent measures,", Reuters reported.
"In order not to drag our region into a major catastrophe, the pressure on Israel must increase even more,", Erdogan emphasized.
„It is time for all countries whose mission is to protect world peace to propose solutions that will stop Israel”, he added.
„In order to end this oppression, which has been going on for almost a year now, to establish a permanent ceasefire and to ensure the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid, all of us, the whole world and especially the United Nations, have important obligations&ldquo ;, the Turkish leader also said at a press conference in Istanbul before his departure for New York.