Israel seeks to expand war beyond Gaza: Turkish foreign minister

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday said Israel's assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah suggests it has a desire to take the Gaza conflict beyond the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

"There is a desire within Israel, including [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, for the war to spread to the region," Fidan said in an exclusive interview with Türkiye's public broadcaster TRT in New York.

He said Türkiye believes "Israel will not stop after Gaza and will also move into Lebanon."

Hezbollah and Israel continued cross-border warfare since the Gaza war last October, but Tel Aviv recently escalated its offensive in Lebanon, killing hundreds, displacing thousands and also assassinating the group’s leader Nasrallah. The conflict could escalate further, as there are fears of an Israeli military ground invasion.

Fidan characterized the ongoing situation in Gaza, where more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion, as a "tragedy," but said if there is greater tragedy than this, it is hypocrisy and inefficiency of the international system.

He said the conflict had showed us that international institutions, including the UN, are not functioning, highlighting an urgent need for reform.

He said that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Türkiye has been proactive in advocating for peace. "Türkiye is not confined to either Western or Eastern axis," Fidan said, arguing that Ankara will continue to move forward with a constructive approach in the region.

The top Turkish diplomat also underscored the importance of establishing an independent Palestine, saying the Gaza Contact Group, established at a joint summit of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League in Saudi Arabia last November, continues to take up the matter.

He expressed concern over Washington's influence in the conflict, saying: "It is troubling that all of the US’ power is at Israel's disposal."

Israel is "drawing both itself and its allies into a major conflict," he said.