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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)
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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)" 

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US Sanctions Extremist West Bank Settler Group for Violence against Palestinians

An aerial view of a yard where cars were torched overnight, in the Palestinian town of Huwara near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)
An aerial view of a yard where cars were torched overnight, in the Palestinian town of Huwara near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)
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US Sanctions Extremist West Bank Settler Group for Violence against Palestinians

An aerial view of a yard where cars were torched overnight, in the Palestinian town of Huwara near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)
An aerial view of a yard where cars were torched overnight, in the Palestinian town of Huwara near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)

The US on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Hilltop Youth, a group of extremist settlers in the Israeli -occupied West Bank who attack Palestinians and their property.

In addition, the State Department placed diplomatic sanctions on two men—Israeli settler Eitan Yardeni, for his connection to violence targeting West Bank civilians and Avichai Suissa, the leader of Hashomer Yosh, a sanctioned group that brings young volunteers to settler farms across the territory, including small farming outposts that rights groups say are the primary drivers of settler violence across the territory.

The sanctions, which expose people to asset freezes and travel and visa bans, come as violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has exploded since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, following the deadly terrorist attacks of October 7th.

Palestinians report verbal and physical harassment, restriction of movement, and face intimidation by settlers circling their properties on motorbikes, cars or horses and spying via drones.

The Treasury Department said Hilltop Youth has carried out killings and mass arson, while rights groups and Palestinians say the group is behind “price tag” attacks – attacks on Palestinian villages in retaliation for perceived efforts to hamper settlement construction.

The group may prove difficult to effectively sanction, as it is loosely organized and decentralized. In addition, Israel’s finance minister has previously vowed to intervene on sanctioned settlers’ behalf.

In the past, sanctioned settlers have told the AP that the measures have had little impact on their finances.

Hilltop Youth has already faced sanctions from the EU and UK.

The Biden administration has been criticized for imposing relatively few sanctions on Israeli extremists. According to the Office of Foreign Assets Control, 27 extremists and entities have been sanctioned by the US under President Joe Biden ’s February 2024 Executive Order related to maintaining West Bank stability.

The Treasury's Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith said that the US “will continue to hold accountable the individuals, groups, and organizations that facilitate these hateful and destabilizing acts.”

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said “the actions of these individuals have contributed to creating an environment where violence and instability thrive. Their actions, collectively and individually, undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank.”