Concerning for global system when UN cannot protect its personnel from Israel’s attacks: Turkish president

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said it is concerning for the international system when the UN cannot protect its own personnel from Israel’s attacks in Lebanon, urging the global body to act against Tel Aviv.

“The image of the UN, which cannot even protect its own personnel, is a source of shame and concern for the international system,” Erdogan said in remarks after a cabinet meeting.

"Indeed, we also wonder what the UN Security Council is waiting for to stop Israel," he added.

The Turkish president said the Security Council merely watches Israel's acts of the “banditry” against the UN peacekeepers in Lebanon (UNIFIL), calling it “impotence.”​​​​​​​

Erdogan reiterated that Israel would not stop its attacks as long as the US and Europe support it “unconditionally.”

According to the UN in Lebanon, Israeli tanks burst into its base on Sunday, the latest of Israeli violations against peacekeeping forces.

The Turkish president also congratulated Turkish-American economist Doran Acemoglu for winning the Nobel Prize in economics.