News - Middle East: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has roundly denounced the ongoing Israeli military aggression in Gaza and Lebanon, describing the Tel Aviv regime as “the most direct threat” to both regional and global peace.

“Israel is the most direct threat to regional and global peace, and those tasked with safeguarding world peace must put an end to this threat,” Erdogan told reporters on Saturday aboard his returning flight from Serbia and Albania.

The Turkish leader went on to say that Israel is not only targeting stability in the occupied Palestinian territories, but also in Lebanon, “seeking to spread unrest to the surrounding region.”

Ankara is closely monitoring Tel Aviv’s actions and any potential measure against Turkey, Erdogan stated, emphasizing that Israeli acts of aggression cannot be overlooked.

“Dreams of [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, and his gang will turn into a nightmare,” said the Turkish president, stressing that “Palestine will be free and Lebanon will remain free.”

He further said that the Gaza genocide has taken place before everyone's eyes, and has taken its place among the “humanity's historic shames.”

“Those who stand with the Zionist terrorist entity will carry marks of this shame for generations,” Erdogan pointed out.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military on Saturday ordered Palestinians in the northern side of Gaza to evacuate their homes and head towards the southern part of the coastal territory.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee, in a statement, instructed northern Gaza residents to evacuate “immediately via Salah al-Din Street” to reach what he alleged to be a “safe humanitarian zone.”

“The area, known as D5, is expected to face continued military action,” he said.

The call for evacuation follows an uptick in Israeli airstrikes and ground offensives in Gaza, particularly in densely populated neighborhoods.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least 42,175 Palestinians and injured another 98,336 individuals. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

Press TV