Volkan Isbasaran
Informed Comment / October 2, 2024
Istanbul – As the conflict in Lebanon intensifies, Turkey finds itself walking a diplomatic tightrope. While it has openly condemned Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, Ankara has been careful to avoid statements that could be interpreted as direct support for Hezbollah.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has condemned Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. However, in his official statement, Erdoğan did not directly mention Nasrallah or Hezbollah.
Instead, he criticized Israel’s actions, describing them as a “policy of genocide, occupation, and invasion.” Erdoğan also called on the United Nations Security Council to take immediate action, emphasizing Turkey’s support for Lebanon. “We will continue to stand by the Lebanese people and government in these difficult days,” Erdoğan added.
Compared to the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh, Turkish officials adopted a more cautious tone following the death of Nasrallah. Haniyeh’s assassination in July 2024 drew strong condemnation from Ankara, with officials referring to him as a “martyr.” Turkey even declared a national day of mourning in Haniyeh’s honour.
This raises an important question: why has Turkey been relatively quiet on Nasrallah’s assassination?
Background: sectarianism and Syria
Turkey’s desire to avoid statements that could be perceived as supportive of Hezbollah stems from sectarian differences and Hezbollah’s role in the Syrian Civil War.
Journalists Musa Özuğurlu, speaking on the pro-opposition channel Tele1, and Mehmet Ali Güller, from the pro-opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet, both highlighted the sectarian differences between Hamas and Hezbollah when discussing how Erdoğan distinguishes between the two organizations.
They both noted that Erdoğan is more supportive of Hamas than Hezbollah, as Hamas is a Sunni organization, while Hezbollah is primarily a Shia Islamist organization.
Additionally, with the start of the Syrian Civil War, Turkey and Hezbollah found themselves on opposing sides. Hezbollah supported the Bashar al-Assad regime, while Turkey supported Syrian opposition groups like the Free Syrian Army (FSA) seeking to overthrow Assad.
Hezbollah has occasionally clashed with Turkish-backed rebel groups in Syria, and during the Battle of Idlib, a rare direct confrontation between Turkey and Hezbollah also occurred. At that time, Idlib was the last major stronghold of the Syrian opposition. Following the deaths of 34 Turkish soldiers in a Syrian-Russian airstrike on February 27, 2020, Turkey launched ‘Operation Spring Shield.
During the military operation, Turkish drones and artillery killed fourteen Hezbollah members. The Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF identified several Radwan operatives among the casualties and observed the battle to gather insights. Radwan Force is an elite unit within Hezbollah known for its highly trained operatives who operate in various theatres, including Lebanon and Syria.
While Erdoğan appears to keep his distance from Nasrallah and Hezbollah, he also has been striving to accelerate normalization talks with Damascus.
How does Turkey view Hezbollah ?
Although Ankara has been at odds with Hezbollah, it does not designate the group as a terrorist organization, unlike Turkey’s Western allies.
In an interview with the state broadcaster TRT, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan revealed that he met with Nasrallah in Lebanon shortly after October 7 under difficult conditions.
Fidan described Nasrallah as a major regional figure, noting that his death will leave a void that will be difficult to fill. He also called Nasrallah’s death a significant loss for both Hezbollah and Iran.
While Turkish officials adopted a careful tone, pro-government media harshly criticized Hezbollah’s role in the region.
On a program aired by A Haber, retired Colonel and security pundit Coşkun Başbuğ claimed that Nasrallah was working for Mossad and that Hezbollah’s leadership was “sold out.” Başbuğ argued that Hezbollah could have turned the Israeli border into a “hell” but did not due to its compromised leadership.
Başbuğ stated that Nasrallah and other Hezbollah leaders were discarded by those who used them. Additionally, he referred to Hezbollah’s missile attacks as mere “firework displays.”
Yeni Şafak columnist and a former Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP Aydın Ünal said the assassination of Nasrallah was met with joy and excitement by the oppressed Syrians.
Ünal said that Nasrallah, following orders from Iran, had brutally and mercilessly carried out massacres of Muslims.
“The removal of Hezbollah will not only ensure Lebanon’s stabilization but will also mean the elimination of the buffer, barrier, and obstacle in the Palestinian resistance,” Ünal said.
Solidarity with Lebanon
Erdoğan met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on September 25 on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly. He reportedly expressed Turkey’s solidarity with Lebanon in the face of Israeli attacks. He emphasized the urgent need for the international community to implement a solution to halt Israel’s aggression.
As Israel intensified its attacks on Lebanon, Erdoğan stated on September 30 that if the UN Security Council fails to halt Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon, the UN General Assembly should recommend the use of force, in accordance with a resolution it passed in 1950.
Hours after the Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon began, Erdoğan reiterated Turkey’s support for Lebanon in an October 1 speech at the reopening of the Turkish Parliament following its summer recess.
He emphasized that Turkey would support Lebanon with all its means. “After Lebanon, the next place he will set his sights on will be our homeland. Netanyahu is adding Anatolia to his dreams,” Erdogan added. Anatolia is a large peninsula in western Asia that makes up the majority of modern-day Turkey.
Overall, Turkey’s support appears to be directed more toward the Lebanese population and Lebanon as a state, rather than Hezbollah as an organization. Turkey’s current foreign policy on Lebanon emphasizes humanitarian concerns, regional stability, condemnation of broader Israeli actions in the region, and criticism of Western support for Israel.
NOTE : Turkey designates a separate Islamist group called “Kurdish Hezbollah” as a terrorist organization; this Sunni Islamist group operates primarily in southeastern Turkey and is not connected to the Shia Lebanese Hezbollah; the two groups have distinct goals and ideological principles
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