ISTANBUL, June 26, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday accused Western powers of backing what he said were Israeli plans to attack Lebanon and "spread war" throughout the region.
 
"Israel is now setting its sights on Lebanon and we see that Western powers behind the scenes are patting Israel on the back and even supporting them," he told lawmakers from his ruling AKP party. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Netanyahu's plans to spread the war to the region will lead to a great disaster," he said.

His remarks came as concern soared over the escalating cross-border exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah, fuelling fears it could descend into fully-fledged war.
 
The Lebanon border violence erupted after Hamas militants staged an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, triggering a massive Israeli retaliatory operation which is ongoing. 

Netanyahu has said Israeli forces are now winding up the most intense part of the Gaza war and will redeploy to the northern border, casting the move as defensive.

Last week, Israel said its plans for an offensive in Lebanon were "approved and validated."