Türkiye Says Israel’s Ground Offensive into Lebanon Is Illegal, Kremlin Voices Concern

An Israeli attack helicopter fires towards Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel, October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli attack helicopter fires towards Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel, October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
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Türkiye Says Israel’s Ground Offensive into Lebanon Is Illegal, Kremlin Voices Concern

An Israeli attack helicopter fires towards Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel, October 1, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli attack helicopter fires towards Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel, October 1, 2024. (Reuters)

Türkiye’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Israel's ground offensive into Lebanon was an illegal attempt at occupation that violated Lebanese territorial integrity, and added the operation must immediately end with Israel withdrawing from Lebanon.

Israeli paratroopers, commandos and armored units launched raids at the start of a ground incursion into south Lebanon, as intense fighting erupted with Hezbollah fighters on Tuesday.

In a statement, the foreign ministry said Israel's offensive targeted regional countries' security and stability as well, and added it was "highly likely" that a new migrant wave will emerge from the fighting.

It called on the UN Security Council to "do what is necessary" in line with international law.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it was deeply concerned about Israel's military activity in Lebanon and a reported strike on the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Syrian state media said on Tuesday morning that three civilians had been killed and nine others injured in an Israeli airstrike on Damascus.

"We are witnessing together that the geography of hostilities is expanding, which is further destabilizing the region and increasing tensions. These tensions are destructive to the region and the surrounding areas. We remain deeply concerned," Peskov said.

He added that Moscow was in constant contact with Damascus.

"We see no immediate risks at the moment, but of course we condemn such strikes against a sovereign state," said Peskov.

Poland will limit the number of staff at its embassy in Beirut, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, adding that Warsaw would organize transport for Polish citizens who want to leave Lebanon.

"The decision was made to limit the staff at our embassy in Beirut," spokesperson Pawel Wronski told reporters. "Mainly these are the families of diplomats. We will try to keep the essential people, and those who are not essential will return to the country (Poland)" 



Palestinian President Abbas Appoints New Deputy in Major Step in Naming Successor

Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)
Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)
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Palestinian President Abbas Appoints New Deputy in Major Step in Naming Successor

Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)
Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday named a veteran aide and confidant as his new vice president. It’s a major step by the aging leader to designate a successor.

The appointment of Hussein al-Sheikh as vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization does not guarantee he will be the next Palestinian president. But it makes him the front-runner among longtime politicians in the dominant Fatah party who hope to succeed the 89-year-old Abbas.

Abbas hopes to play a major role in postwar Gaza. He has been under pressure from Western and Arab allies to rehabilitate the Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.  

The PLO is the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people and oversees the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. Abbas has led both entities for two decades.