Ankara, Turkey. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Israel’s attacks on Syria and Lebanon had reached a point where they also threaten Turkey. He said Israel’s “aggression” posed a threat to the whole world and must be stopped.
Erdogan links Turkey’s security to Syria and Lebanon
Speaking to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament, Erdogan said the attacks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “and his network of murder” on Lebanon and Syria had brought the issue to a point where it also threatens Turkey. He added that Ankara’s security was tied to that of the two countries.
Turkey’s stance on Israel
NATO member Turkey has been one of the fiercest critics of Israel’s assaults on Iran, Gaza, and Lebanon, saying Israel was the biggest obstacle to regional peace. It has halted all trade with Israel and called for measures against it at international courts.
Comments on Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean
Erdogan also said Israel was leading a “sneaky effort” to destabilise African countries and the Mediterranean by igniting “the fire of discord” on the ethnically split island of Cyprus.
He said that “these small entities, whose ambitions far exceed their size, have boarded Israel’s boat of mischief, taken on the role of Zionist subcontractors, and are pursuing some pipe dreams in the Eastern Mediterranean,” without elaborating.
Erdogan said Turkey’s response would be “very clear and very strong” if the rights of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots were violated in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Call for international action
Turkey, Iran’s neighbour, has blamed Israel’s “provocations” for starting the U.S.-Iran war.
Erdogan urged world powers to take a clearer stance against Israel, saying it was emboldened by the “silence of international community”.
“Pulling Israel back to within the bounds of the rule of law has become a shared duty not just for certain countries, but for all of humanity,” he said.
