Ambulances arrive near the scene following an explosion in central Istanbul's Taksim area, Turkey, on Nov. 13, 2022. (Credit: Kemal Aslan/Reuters)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Lebanese officials condemned the explosion that took place in Istanbul in Turkey on Sunday. At least six people were killed in the blast and and scores of others were injured.
In a statement published on Sunday, the ministry regretted the blast took the lives "of a large number of innocent martyrs and injured many others according to initial information."
The Turkish government blamed Kurdish militants on Monday for the deadly blast in Istanbul's main shopping street.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian, in a statement on Monday, condemned the explosion and described it as "a criminal attack aimed at disrupting the security and safety of Turkey."
For his part, caretaker Prime minister Najib Mikati said in a tweet that he called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to whom he "expressed his solidarity with him and Turkish people."
Former Primer Minister Saad Hariri, who is regularly received by Erdogan in Turkey even though he has stepped down from Lebanese politics in January, also said in a Sunday tweet that he "condemns the terrorist attack which targeted Istanbul and led to many human casualties and injuries."
Caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam also condemned the attack. "Our deepest condolences to President Erdogan and the Turkish people. We ask God for mercy to the victims and speedy recovery of the wounded," he said.
Meanwhile, caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin, tweeted: "Watching with great sorrow the news of the attack in Taksim, Istanbul — a city that received many of us with open arms."
Hezbollah condemned in a statement issued Monday "the terrorist explosion" in Istanbul and offered its condolences to the Turkish government and people. "We feel your suffering ... We believe that the whole world, especially the governments and the people of our region, must take a firm stand against terrorist groups at all levels ... No country in the world is safe from danger and this requires a unified position," the statement said.
Lebanon and Turkey have good diplomatic relations, with Lebanese passport carriers not needing to obtain a visa in advance to visit the country.