Speaking to lawmakers in parliament, Erdogan also claimed there were initiatives led by Israel to destabilize the Mediterranean region and warned that \u201cnobody should chase adventures\u201d or join Israel\u2019s \u201cboat of mischief.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe attacks by [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his network of murder on Lebanon and Syria have brought the issue to a point where it also threatens Turkey,\u201d Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament, and added that Ankara\u2019s security was tied to that of those two countries.<\/p>\n \t Erdogan also said Israel was leading a \u201csneaky effort\u201d to destabilize African countries and the Mediterranean by igniting \u201cthe fire of discord\u201d on the ethnically split island of Cyprus.<\/p>\n \u201cThese small entities, whose ambitions far exceed their size, have boarded Israel\u2019s boat of mischief, taken on the role of Zionist subcontractors, and are pursuing some pipe dreams in the Eastern Mediterranean,\u201d he said, without elaborating.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody should chase adventures\u2026 I want everyone to know that if the rights of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots are violated in the Eastern Mediterranean, our response will be very clear and very strong.\u201d<\/p>\n It was unclear what Erdogan was referring to.<\/p>\n Erdogan urged world powers to take a clearer stance against Israel, saying the country was emboldened by the \u201csilence of the international community.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPulling 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n NATO member Turkey, Iran\u2019s neighbor, has blamed Israel\u2019s \u201cprovocations\u201d for starting the US-Iran war. The US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran at the end of February. Iran\u2019s ally Hezbollah began attacking Israel days later, reigniting the conflict in Lebanon.<\/p>\n \t \u201cThe antisemitic dictator Erdogan, who is carrying out genocide against the Kurds, supports the Hamas terrorist organization, oppresses his own people, and imprisons political opponents, is the last person who can preach morality to Israel,\u201d Netanyahu said in a Hebrew-language statement.<\/p>\n \u201cIsrael and the IDF, the most moral army in the world, will continue to act with strength against Iran and its proxies, which threaten the Middle East and the entire world,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Meeting Trump in the Oval Office, a reporter noted Erdogan\u2019s comments and asked him whether he\u2019s concerned about a confrontation between Jerusalem and Ankara, and whether he still plans to sell Turkey F-35 fighter jets.<\/p>\n \u201cAs you know, he\u2019s a very good friend of mine, and we\u2019ve worked very well together. I like him a lot,\u201d Trump responded, avoiding any comment on Erdogan\u2019s threats.<\/p>\n Trump told reporters that he hasn\u2019t heard about Erdogan\u2019s latest criticism of Israel but that if he did, he\u2019d call the Turkish leader and make sure that \u201cnothing would happen with Turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n Some human rights groups and Western governments have long accused Turkey of repressing political opponents. Ankara has also faced criticism over its military campaigns against Kurdish groups in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, though it rejects allegations of genocide. Erdogan has openly supported Hamas, hosting some of its leaders. The president has praised the group\u2019s terrorists as \u201cfreedom fighters\u201d while condemning Israel, including by comparing it to Nazi Germany and likening Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.<\/p>\n On Saturday, Turkey\u2019s interior minister said<\/a> that his country will one day bring about the \u201cliberation\u201d of Jerusalem, vowing to restore Turkish control to the city that the Ottoman Empire ruled for hundreds of years.<\/p>\n Those comments drew a sharp rebuke from Israel, with the Foreign Ministry saying that the \u201cOttoman Empire is gone\u201d and that Jerusalem \u201cshall remain the eternal capital of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s relations with Turkey, which were once the Jewish state\u2019s strongest with any country in the region, have drastically deteriorated in recent years, and particularly since the start of the war sparked by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack.<\/p>\n Erdogan has since been one of the most harshly critical foreign leaders of Israel, accusing Jerusalem of genocide and war crimes, welcoming ICC arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, and calling on the UN to recommend the use of force against Israel.<\/p>\n The country has also suspended trade with Israel, and Turkish airlines have stopped flying to Israel.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tDebris lies on the ground at the scene of an Israeli strike in a military facility in Syria\u2019s southern Hama governorate, on April 3, 2025. (Abdulaziz Ketaz\/AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP__20260609__B6G48WE__v3__HighRes__LebanonIsraelIranUsWar-e1780999009288-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tSmoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Tyre after an evacuation warning on June 9, 2026 (KAWANT HAJU \/ AFP) \/<\/p>\n
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