Turkish operation in Syria .. France and the Netherlands summon the ambassadors of Ankara and a meeting of the Security Council

International reactions to Turkey's launch on Wednesday of a large-scale military operation in northeastern Syria to create a safe zone evolved. Closed to discuss the Turkish attack.

The French Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador in Paris Ismail Haqqi after the Turkish military operation which started on Wednesday in northern Syria.

Several organizations called for rallies on Saturday in Paris in support of Kurds in Syria and to protest against the Turkish attack.

The French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Laudrian yesterday condemned the Turkish operation in Syria, saying it "undermines the security and humanitarian efforts of the coalition against ISIS, and may lead to harm the security of Europeans."

Dutch Foreign Minister Steve Block said he had summoned the Turkish ambassador in Amsterdam today because Ankara began its offensive yesterday against Kurdish forces in northern Syria, adding that his country condemned the attack and called on Ankara to stop it.

Security Council
In a related context, the UN Security Council today held a closed session to discuss the Turkish military operation, called "spring of peace," the correspondent of the island said that five European countries in the Security Council called yesterday for the closed meeting.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry called on Turkey to immediately halt its military operations in northern Syria, and to withdraw the Turkish army out of Syrian territory.

The ministry said Tehran "understands Turkey's security concerns, but believes that military measures are not a solution to deal with these concerns."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today condemned the Turkish military incursion against Syrian Kurdish factions, warned of possible ethnic cleansing, and called on China to respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding that the international community should avoid further complicating the situation.

The Cypriot Foreign Ministry condemned the Turkish military attack, calling on Ankara to immediately cease all military activities, calling the attack a flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter.

The Arab League
The Arab League said in a statement that it would hold an emergency meeting on Saturday at the invitation of Egypt to discuss the Turkish "spring of peace" operation in Syria.

On the other hand, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Turkish military operation in northeastern Syria is the result of US actions in the region, stressing that Russia is trying to launch dialogue between Damascus and the Kurds on the one hand, and Syria and Turkey on the other.

Lavrov noted that Moscow is interested in calming the situation in Syria as soon as possible, while preserving the territorial integrity, and said that the Russian and Turkish military are in constant communication about the situation in northeastern Syria.

The position of Pompeo
Asked about the Turkish military operation, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Ankara had legitimate security concerns, citing terrorist threats on its southern border.

Pompeo denied that Washington had given Ankara the green light to carry out the military operation in northern Syria, noting that US President Donald Trump had taken a decision to remove US soldiers from harm.

Britain and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg have called on Ankara to show restraint, and London said the Turkish attack threatened more human suffering and undermined efforts to fight IS.