Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that his country stands by Lebanon in light of the escalating tension with Israel, and called on regional parties to support him, and accused Western countries of supporting Israeli plans to “expand the scope of the war in the region.”

Erdogan added - in his speech at a parliamentary meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party in the capital, Ankara - that Israel is currently focusing on Lebanon, and Western powers seem to be supporting and strengthening it behind the scenes.

The Turkish president warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to expand the scope of the war could lead to a "major disaster," adding that Western support for Israel is "pathetic."

He said: "It is very unfortunate and pathetic that countries that talk about freedom, human rights and justice are captive to a crazy man like Netanyahu."

Erdogan went on to say that images of hungry children in the Gaza Strip are a "disgrace to the modern world," and attacked Islamic countries, saying, "This will also be remembered as a symbol of the impotence of the Islamic world."

The Turkish President called on the Islamic world and the countries of the Middle East first to confront these bloody Israeli plans.

Earlier, Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces are now ending the most intense part of the war on Gaza and will redeploy on the northern border with Lebanon, describing this step as defensive.

Last week, Israel announced that its plans to launch an attack in Lebanon had been approved.

The repercussions of the Israeli war on Gaza are regularly reflected on the Israeli-Lebanese border, where cross-border clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah have escalated.