Several countries have issued reactions on Tuesday to Israel’s ground incursion in Lebanon, after the Israeli military began what it said were “ground raids” against Hezbollah militants in the area.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned on Tuesday Israel’s ground operation into Lebanon and urged the United Nations and other international organizations to stop Israel without “wasting any more time.”
“Whatever it does, Israel will be stopped sooner or later,” Erdogan told the Turkish parliament at the opening of the legislative year.
Russia urged Israel to “immediately” pull its troops out of southern Lebanon on Tuesday.
Israel announced its “targeted ground raids” after launching a week of intense air strikes on Lebanon that left hundreds dead and killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, military operations that the Kremlin also condemned.
“Russia strongly condemns the attack on Lebanon and calls on the Israeli authorities to immediately cease hostilities, withdraw their troops from Lebanese territory and engage in a real search for peaceful ways to resolve the Middle East conflict,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“We express our solidarity with the leadership and people of friendly Lebanon, which has been subjected to armed aggression,” it added.
China said it opposed “infringements on Lebanon’s sovereignty” after Israel said it had launched a ground offensive there, and that Beijing was “highly concerned” about growing tensions.
However, the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said the Israeli operation did not amount to a “ground incursion,” while Iran-backed Hezbollah denied any troops had crossed the border.
There was no way to immediately verify the claims, which came as Israel targeted south Beirut, Damascus and Gaza despite international calls for restraint to avoid a regional conflagration.
“China is highly concerned about the current situation between Lebanon and Israel and is deeply concerned about the further escalation of regional tensions due to related military actions,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
“China… opposes infringements on Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and opposes any actions that exacerbate conflicts and lead to a further escalation of the regional situation.”
Beijing urged Israel “to take concrete actions to de-escalate the situation,” the statement said.
With AFP
