Turkey accuses Israel of aiming to occupy Lebanon

Turkey on Tuesday accused Israel of aiming to occupy Lebanon with its ground offensive.

"The UN Security Council must uphold international law and take the necessary measures against this attack that aims the occupation [sic] of Lebanon," the Turkish Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement.

It said the offensive was "an illegal invasion attempt," which "targets the security and stability of the region and beyond" and "is likely to spark a new wave of migration and to give ground to extremists all around the world."

Israeli ground troops advanced into southern Lebanon early on Tuesday morning in the country's first ground offensive into the neighbouring country since the 2006 war.

Dubbed Northern Arrows, the offensive is directed at Lebanon's Shiite militia Hezbollah.

According to the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that Israel would also have its sights on Turkey: "After Palestine and Lebanon, the Israeli leadership will target our country."

He did not present any evidence of such plans by the Israeli government.