Türkiye awaits investigation and punishment over Israeli attack on UNIFIL

Türkiye said Thursday it expects an investigation into an Israeli attack on U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon, which includes five Turkish soldiers, and punishment of those responsible.

Israel has injured members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in several recent attacks, drawing international criticism as deliberate attacks on peacekeepers violate international law.

“Shooting on UNIFIL and injuring its personnel is a clear violation of international law,” Turkish Defense Ministry press secretary Zeki Akturk told reporters at a weekly briefing in Ankara.

“Allowing attacks on an international peacekeeping force to go unpunished will further damage trust in the UN system and make it more difficult for the UN Security Council to fulfill its mission to protect international peace,” Akturk said.

“As a nation contributing to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, we expect that the necessary investigations will be carried out as quickly as possible and those responsible will be punished.”

Defense Ministry sources separately condemned the Israeli attack and assured that the five Turkish personnel injured in the incident were in good condition.

“The Turkish embassy and the attache in Beirut are in constant contact with the staff,” the sources said. “Türkiye will continue to support all initiatives in accordance with international law to promote regional peace.”

UNIFIL was founded in March 1978 to confirm Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon and to assist the Lebanese government in restoring authority in the region. Its mandate has expanded over the years, particularly after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, to monitor ceasefires and facilitate humanitarian assistance.

Her mandate was last unanimously extended by the UN Security Council in August.

Since September 23, Israel has dramatically expanded its massive bombing campaign across Lebanon against alleged Hezbollah targets. At least 1,437 people were killed, over 4,123 others were injured and more than 1.34 million people were displaced.

The airstrike is an escalation after a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza. More than 42,400 people, most of them women and children, have been killed since the war began in Hamas’ cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Israel began its ground invasion of Lebanon on October 1st.

Evacuations in Lebanon

Also on Thursday, Türkiye evacuated more people from Lebanon in the face of ongoing 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 landed first in southern Cukurova and then in Istanbul, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Turkish navy ships had previously 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).

According to sources, as of October 16, Türkiye has helped 2,120 people from 21 countries in Lebanon reach their destinations by air via Türkiye.

Eurofighter jets

Defense Ministry sources also said that Türkiye carried out technical work to accelerate the planned purchase of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.

Ankara said last year it was in talks with Eurofighter consortium members Britain and Spain about buying Typhoons, although Germany objected to the idea. Since then, she has complained about a lack of progress on this issue due to Berlin’s reluctance.

Last month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Scholz will meet Erdoğan in Istanbul on Saturday and the jets will be discussed.

“Work at the technical level for the procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon jets is underway. The work is aimed at speeding up the process. No conditions were imposed on this work,” the Defense Ministry official told reporters.

The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are being built by a consortium of Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by the companies Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

NATO member Türkiye recently concluded a contract to procure 40 F-16 fighter jets and 79 modernization kits for its existing F-16 aircraft from the US after a long-delayed process.

Ankara is also developing its own national fighter aircraft KAAN.

Explosion in Kilis

Defense Ministry sources denied reports that Türkiye retaliated against a missile that struck the southern province of Kilis, which borders Syria.

Turkish media reported on Wednesday evening that the military had retaliated after two mortar shells fired from northern Syria landed in a minefield in Kilis.

The city administration had said the mortar shells were not fired at Türkiye but were accidental shots following clashes between two opposition groups in Azaz, Syria.

“During a clash between two groups on Wednesday evening, a rocket struck a property 12 kilometers (7.45 miles) southeast of Kilis, which is under the jurisdiction of our border station,” the sources said.

“We continue to monitor the activities of our field forces and threats against our operational areas and take necessary action,” they added.

Türkiye is fighting terrorists from the PKK, its Syrian wing YPG and Daesh along its Syrian border, where the PKK has attempted to establish a terror corridor. Türkiye has reiterated that it will not allow the existence of an independent terrorist state along its borders.

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