Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday declared his country's support of Lebanon amid the current tensions with Israel.
"It seems that Israel has now turned its eyes on Lebanon after destroying and burning Gaza. We see Western countries giving Israel support behind the scenes," Erdogan said in a speech to his AK Party lawmakers in parliament.
"Netanyahu's plans to spread the war to the region will lead to a big catastrophe," he said, adding that the Western support for Israel was "pitiful."
Erdogan declared: "Turkey stands with the brotherly people and state of Lebanon. I call on other countries in the region to stand in solidarity with Lebanon.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded to the Turkish President's statements, writing: "Erdogan announced his support for Hezbollah against Israel's threats. Erdogan is a war criminal who slaughters innocent Kurds across the Syrian border and tries to deny Israel its right to self-defense against a terror organization attacking from Lebanon under Iran's orders.
"Be quiet and shame on you!" he added.