ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has delivered a sharp rebuke of Israeli military operations and foreign policy, asserting that Israel’s current administration is deliberately escalating provocations to plunge the wider Middle East into instability.
Speaking during an address in Istanbul, Erdoğan accused Israeli leadership of pursuing aggressive, expansionist tactics that endanger neighboring states and threaten broader regional security.
“The current government in Israel, addicted to war, is trying every kind of provocation to destabilize the region,” Erdoğan stated. “Zionism threatens the peace of its neighbors… targeting those who defend human values”.
The Turkish president called on Islamic nations to forge stronger diplomatic and strategic solidarity to counter regional security threats, emphasizing that Ankara’s warnings regarding expansionism are made on behalf of all populations in the Middle East.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded by rejecting Erdoğan’s remarks, accusing the Turkish leader of using hostile rhetoric to divert focus from domestic governance and Turkish foreign policy. The exchange marks a further deterioration in bilateral ties between Ankara and West Jerusalem amid ongoing regional conflict.