Tel Aviv has been seeking to eliminate all perceived threats through its full military, political, and economic power, says Türkiye's top diplomat. / Photo: TRT World
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has reiterated Ankara’s warning that the Israeli war on Palestine’s Gaza and Tel Aviv's continued hostilities aimed at other regional actors risks plunging the entire Middle East into war.
Jordan is on a high military alert as Israel carries out military operations in the occupied West Bank, Fidan, who was in Amman earlier this week for a summit of Muslim countries, told Anadolu Agency in an interview on Thursday.
“Jordan is communicating to both its allies and international partners that it will not remain silent on Israel's actions. This alarming development, coupled with the current threats involving Lebanon and possibly Egypt, indicates that the risk of a widespread war is ever-present,” he said.
“Netanyahu appears determined to escalate this further."
Fidan's comments come a day after Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi accused Israel of trying to pull neighbouring countries into a regional war as the Jewish state expands confrontation on multiple fronts.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, a series of explosions in pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon killed at least 32 people, including Hezbollah militants and civilians.
Fidan said that threats against Lebanon persist following targeted explosions of communication devices in attacks attributed to Israel and that Iran’s involvement could lead to a larger war.
He warned that Israel’s strategy initially focused on besieged Gaza, where it has killed over 41,000 people since last October, but now it appears to be shifting towards Lebanon.
Israel's motives under scrutiny
Fidan described the remote-controlled explosions linked to electronic devices in Lebanon – which killed dozens and injured over 3,000 people – as “part of the war (in Gaza) that has been ongoing for nearly a year.”
He questioned Israel's ultimate goal in the ongoing conflict, suggesting that rather than pursuing a political resolution and lasting peace, Tel Aviv has been seeking to eliminate all perceived threats through its full military, political, and economic power.
“The current radical Israeli government appears set on a strategy to eliminate all threats, escalating from Gaza to Lebanon, and possibly beyond,” the top diplomat stressed.
“Israel’s increasingly provocative operations are pushing Hezbollah, Iran, and their allies towards a point where they may feel they have no option but to respond."
Fidan also welcomed yesterday’s decision by the UN General Assembly to adopt a landmark resolution calling for an end to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories within the next year.
“Palestine is just a veto away from full international recognition. With near-universal support except from the US, many countries already maintain state-level relations with Palestine. Legally, all steps towards Palestinian statehood have been achieved except for final recognition by the UN Security Council."
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.