Turkey's Erdogan condemns Israeli attacks in Lebanon, calls for UN action to stop them

Erdogan said that Turkey stood with the Lebanese government, offering his condolences for those killed in the Israeli strikes, while saying the Muslim world should show a more "determined" stance.

 TURKEY’S PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan sounds like, and acts like, an enemy of Israel. It is overdue that he be properly recognized as one. (photo credit: MARKO DJURICA/REUTERS)
TURKEY’S PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan sounds like, and acts like, an enemy of Israel. It is overdue that he be properly recognized as one.
(photo credit: MARKO DJURICA/REUTERS)

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday condemned Israel's recent attacks in Lebanon as part of what he called an Israeli policy of "genocide, occupation, and invasion," urging the UN Security Council and other bodies to stop Israel.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group said on Saturday its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been killed, confirming his death after the Israeli military said it had eliminated him in an airstrike in Beirut the day before.

In a post on X without naming Nasrallah, Erdogan said that Turkey stood with the Lebanese people and government, offering his condolences for those killed in the Israeli strikes, while saying the Muslim world should show a more "determined" stance.

Profile of the former leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, Hassan Nasrallah (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)
Profile of the former leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, Hassan Nasrallah (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)

Russia condemns Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah

Russia strongly condemns Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the foreign ministry said on Saturday, calling on Israel to stop hostilities in Lebanon.

"This forceful action is fraught with even greater dramatic consequences for Lebanon and the entire Middle East," the ministry said in a statement.

China's Wang tells UN: Middle East needs comprehensive ceasefire without delay

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday that there must not be a delay in reaching a "comprehensive ceasefire" in the Middle East, and said a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians remains the way out of the region's tensions.

Wang also said China was working for peace in Ukraine and "not throwing oil on the fire" or exploiting Russia's war there for its own gain.