(MENAFN) On Friday, Türkiye denounced Israel’s overnight attacks in southern Lebanon, calling the strikes “absolutely unacceptable” and reaffirming solidarity with the Lebanese population amid heightened regional tensions.

“Israel’s aggression last night is absolutely unacceptable and cannot be approved. Once again, we condemn Israel in the strongest terms,” Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus stated at the Dicle University 2025-2026 Academic Year Opening Ceremony.

He added, “With this attack, I wish to reiterate that we stand with the people of Lebanon,” emphasizing that the assaults were consistent with prior attacks on Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Tunisia, and even Qatar.

“They (the Zionist regime) see all the peoples of the Middle East as slaves, as non-human beings. The visible face of today’s imperialism is Zionism. For more than a century, they have brought the Middle East to this point with the first Sykes-Picot 'divide and rule' strategies. Their goal is to divide more, fragment further, and shrink more. Our goal, however, is to integrate more, unite more, and grow further. Because we know that although they drew borders in the first Sykes-Picot to divide the people of the region, they could not divide their hearts.”

Kurtulmus also highlighted the prolonged cycle of power struggles in the region, urging local actors to adopt stronger problem-solving approaches while noting that some parties have little interest in peace.

“For that, as Türkiye, we must pull ourselves together, make the best sense of the period ahead of us, and continue on our way,” he concluded.

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