Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday strongly condemned Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, calling them a dangerous escalation that threatens to plunge the region into deeper instability and conflict.
In a sharply worded statement, President Erdogan said Israel had “taken its strategy of bloodshed and instability to a dangerous new level” with its early morning assault on Iranian territory, which resulted in the deaths of senior Iranian military officials and civilians.
“The strikes on our neighbour Iran are a clear provocation and a blatant violation of international law,” he said. “At a time when nuclear negotiations are intensifying and global pressure is building over Israel’s actions in Gaza, these attacks further expose its complete disregard for international norms.”
He directly accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of reckless behaviour that endangers not only the Middle East but global peace.
“Netanyahu’s unlawful actions are dragging the region—and the world—toward disaster,” the Turkish president warned. “The international community must take a firm stance against this aggression, which poses a grave threat to regional and global stability.”
Erdogan reaffirmed Türkiye’s longstanding position against regional warfare and reiterated calls for peace and diplomacy.
“We once again declare: we do not want more blood, destruction, or war in the Middle East,” he said, adding that Ankara “strongly condemns the attacks on Iran” and extends its condolences to the Iranian people while wishing a swift recovery to the injured.
Türkiye has maintained close diplomatic ties with both Iran and Israel in the past, but relations with Tel Aviv have remained tense amid repeated flare-ups over the situation in Gaza and broader regional dynamics.
