Türkiye on Thursday said it expects an investigation into an Israeli attack on the U.N. peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, which include five Turkish personnel, and the punishment of those responsible.
Israel has injured United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) members in separate recent attacks, drawing international criticism as deliberate attacks on peacekeepers are against international law.
“Firing on UNIFIL and injuring its personnel is a clear violation of international law,” Turkish Defense Ministry press representative Zeki Aktürk told reporters at a weekly briefing in Ankara.
“Letting attacks on an international peace force go unpunished will further damage the faith in the U.N. system and make it harder for the U.N. Security Council to execute its mission of protecting international peace,” Aktürk said.
“As a nation contributing to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, we expect the necessary investigation to be conducted as soon as possible and those responsible to be punished.”
Defense Ministry sources separately condemned the Israeli attack and assured the five Turkish personnel injured in the incident were in good condition.
“The Turkish Embassy and attache in Beirut are in constant contact with the personnel,” the sources said. “Türkiye will continue supporting all initiatives in line with international law for the facilitation of regional peace.”
The UNIFIL was established in March 1978 to confirm Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon and assist the Lebanese government in restoring authority in the area. Its mandate has been expanded over the years, particularly after the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah war, to monitor cease-fires and facilitate humanitarian aid.
Its mandate was last renewed unanimously by the U.N. Security Council in August.
Israel dramatically escalated its massive bombing campaign across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing at least 1,437 people, injuring over 4,123 others and displacing more than 1.34 million people.
The aerial campaign is an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Israel's war on the Gaza Strip. More than 42,400 people, most of them women and children, have been killed since the war began in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack on Israel.
Israel began its ground invasion of Lebanon on Oct. 1.
Also on Thursday, Türkiye evacuated more people from Lebanon amid continuing Israeli attacks, using a charter flight that left Beirut early in the morning.
The flight took off at 9 a.m. (6 a.m. GMT) with 169 passengers and made its first landing in southern Çukurova and then in Istanbul, according to Foreign Ministry sources.
Earlier, the Turkish naval ships evacuated Turkish citizens from war-hit Lebanon.
The ships evacuated 966 people, including 878 Turkish citizens and 24 from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
As of Oct. 16, Türkiye has assisted 2,120 people from 21 countries in Lebanon in reaching their destinations by air via Türkiye, sources said.
Defense Ministry sources also said Türkiye has been conducting technical works aimed at accelerating its planned purchase of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.
Ankara said last year it was in talks with Eurofighter consortium members Britain and Spain to buy Typhoons, though Germany objected to the idea. Since then, it has complained of a lack of progress on the issue over Berlin's reluctance.
Last month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Scholz is set to meet Erdoğan on Saturday in Istanbul and the jets are expected to be discussed.
"Technical level works for the procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon jets are underway. The works are aimed at accelerating the process. No conditions have been raised in these works," the Defense Ministry official told reporters.
The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by companies Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.
NATO member Türkiye recently secured a deal to procure 40 F-16 fighter jets and 79 modernization kits for its existing F-16s from the United States, after a long-delayed process.
Ankara is also developing its own national combat aircraft KAAN.
Defense Ministry sources denied reports that Türkiye retaliated against a rocket that fell on southern Kilis province, which borders Syria.
Turkish media reports on Wednesday evening said the military had retaliated after two mortars fired from northern Syria fell in a minefield in Kilis.
The city governorate had said the mortars did not target Türkiye but were accidental fires after clashes between two opposition groups in Azaz, Syria.
“In a clash between two groups on Wednesday evening, a rocket dropped on a plot 12 kilometers (7.45 miles) southeast of Kilis, which is within our border station’s jurisdiction,” the sources informed.
“We continue to monitor the activities of our field forces, and threats against our operation zones and take the necessary measures,” they added.
Türkiye is fighting terrorists from the PKK, its Syrian wing YPG and Daesh along its Syria border where the PKK has sought to establish a terror corridor. Türkiye has reiterated that it will not allow an independent terrorist state to exist along its borders.
