Ankara, June 10 - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told lawmakers on Wednesday that Israeli attacks on Syria and Lebanon have reached a level where they also endanger Turkey, and he called for international action to halt what he described as Israel's aggression.
Addressing members of his ruling AK Party in parliament, Erdogan said the campaign led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and what he termed his "network of murder" against Lebanon and Syria had progressed to a stage that now threatens Turkey's own security. "Ankara’s security is tied to that of these two countries," he said in his remarks.
Erdogan framed Israel's operations as part of a wider pattern of destabilization. He accused Israel of leading a "sneaky effort" to unsettle countries in Africa and in the Mediterranean by igniting "the fire of discord" on the ethnically-split island of Cyprus. He also criticized smaller actors in the region, saying: "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." Erdogan did not elaborate further on which entities he meant.
Warning against escalation, he added: "Nobody should chase adventures... 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."
Separately, the Turkish president linked Israel's recent actions to broader regional tensions, saying Turkey has held Israel responsible for "provocations" that it argues helped trigger the U.S.-Iran war. Erdogan used his parliamentary platform to press world powers for a firmer stance against Israel, saying the country had been emboldened by what he described as the "silence of international community".
He urged a collective effort to restore legal norms, stating: "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."
Turkey, which has been among the most vocal critics of Israeli strikes affecting Iran, Gaza, and Lebanon, has previously taken concrete steps in protest. Ankara has halted all trade with Israel and has called for legal measures to be pursued against Israel in international courts.
Erdogan's comments come amid heightened regional tensions and reflect Ankara's contention that the security environment in neighbouring Syria and Lebanon is directly connected to Turkey's own safety and strategic interests.