UPDATE - Israel's attacks on Lebanon are 'a clear manifestation of efforts' to spread war: Turkish president

ADDS MORE REMARKS FROM TURKISH PRESIDENT

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Israel's latest attacks on Lebanon will lead to the spread of the war to the region, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Sunday.

"The recent attacks against Lebanon and the recent statements made by Israel are a clear manifestation of the efforts to spread the war to the region," Erdogan said at an event hosted by the Turkish-American National Steering Committee (TASC) in New York.

Erdogan arrived in the US on Saturday to address the 79th session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

The president also said that the genocide that Israel is carrying out on Palestinian lands, especially in the Gaza Strip, also threatens peace in the region.

"Global institutions and organizations have taken no effective steps to end the oppression in Gaza or prevent Israel's massacre," he added.

Stressing that the global system has begun to lose all its "effectiveness and credibility," Erdogan said institutions whose duty it is to ensure peace and security are "clearly in a state of moral collapse."

"The massacre that has been going on in Gaza for 352 days has shown this once again," he added.

Türkiye has been doing everything to stop this Israeli policy of "occupation, invasion and massacre as soon as possible."

"We have not remained silent and will not remain silent against any attack on the sanctity and historical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque, our first qibla," he stressed.

- 'We are for integration and equally against assimilation'

Addressing the Turkish community, Erdogan congratulated the businessmen and entrepreneurs who are a "source of pride" for Türkiye with their success in commercial and economic life in the US.

"I remind our citizens, wherever they are, at every opportunity: we are for integration and equally against assimilation.

"We want our citizens to stand out in every field, to be successful, and to contribute to the society they live in. However, we do not want our people to lose their identity, core values and beliefs," he added.

The president also expected the Turkish community in the US to be on the alert against "the members of the organization who volunteer as extras in every anti-Türkiye operation."

Türkiye resolutely fights against terrorism, Erdogan reiterated, and urged the Turkish community to give support to Ankara in its fight against the PKK and FETO terror groups.

"Members of terrorist organizations directly or indirectly target not only our country's interests but also our citizens, commercial enterprises and non-governmental organizations abroad," he added.

Stressing that Ankara closely follows far-right movements and hate speech in countries where Turkish citizens live, Erdogan said in recent years, Islamophobia and xenophobia in Western countries, particularly in Europe, have become a "major epidemic that threatens our citizens' peace."

Türkiye believes Islamophobia, like racism, "should be classified as a crime and be subject to legal sanctions," he stressed.

Earlier, Erdogan separately met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic at the Turkish House to discuss bilateral relations and regional and global issues.

Along with first lady Emine Erdogan, he also paid a visit to the Turken Foundation, co-founded by the Turgev and Ensar foundations.

Later, he attended a roundtable meeting with some US think tank representatives.