Key facts
- President Erdogan stated Israel's attacks on Syria and Lebanon now threaten Turkey's security.
- He accused Israel of a 'sneaky effort' to destabilize African countries and the Mediterranean.
- Erdogan called for international powers to adopt a clearer stance against Israel.
- Turkey has halted all trade with Israel and called for international legal measures against it.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared on Wednesday that Israel's ongoing attacks in Syria and Lebanon have reached a critical point, posing a direct threat to Turkey's own security. Speaking to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party, Erdogan asserted that Ankara's security is intrinsically linked to that of its neighbors.
Erdogan also accused Israel of engaging in a "sneaky effort" to destabilize African nations and the Mediterranean region by inciting "fire of discord" on the island of Cyprus. He characterized certain entities as "Zionist subcontractors" pursuing "pipe dreams" in the Eastern Mediterranean, warning of a "very clear and very strong" response if the rights of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots are violated.
The Turkish leader criticized the "silence of the international community" for emboldening Israel, urging world powers to take a more definitive stance against what he termed "aggression." He stated that bringing Israel within the bounds of the rule of law is a "shared duty not just for certain countries, but for all of humanity."