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"Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan welcoed the Iran-US ceasefire but warned that Israel's actions could undermine the negotiations, during a press conference with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani, in Ankara on Thursday. "The necessary lessons must be learned from the crises experienced. It is imperative to act with common sense against Israel's well-known actions aimed at sabotaging the negotiation process," Fidan said. "It is also necessary for the international community to be prepared for Israel's potential sabotage moves and to be in a position to react appropriately," he continued. Fidan said the international community must realise that, "as long as Israeli expansionism does not end, it will not be possible to build lasting peace, stability, and security in the Middle East." The Turkish minister asserted that Israel's pursuit of its geopolitical calculations in the region should be stopped and not imposed through external interventions. He also claimed that Israel is now extending what he described as 'genocide' in Gaza to Lebanon, condemning the recent airstrikes on Lebanon. "While the ink on the ceasefire in the region has barely dried, Israeli attacks in Lebanon are pushing the region into an even deeper humanitarian crisis," he added. The Israeli strike on Beirut on Wednesday, dubbed 'Operation Eternal Darkness,' killed at least 254 people and injured over 1,000 others across Lebanon. It came just hours after a fragile two-week ceasefire was announced between the United States and Iran. Meanwhile, Fidan welcomed Pakistan's efforts to help reach the two-week ceasefire. Syrian Foreign Minister Al-Shaibani also criticised Israel saying, "While we are trying to rebuild our country, the Israeli entity still occupies large areas after December 8, 2024, continues to threaten Syrian airspace, and persists with ground incursions." He urged the US and the international community to support the implementation of the 1974 Agreement and demand the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Syrian territory. The US and Iran agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire on Tuesday night, shortly before Donald Trump's deadline for a deal and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran’s armed forces would halt defensive operations if attacks against the country ceased."
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