Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called on Russia, Syria, and Iran to implement stronger measures to safeguard Syria’s territorial integrity in response to a recent air strike on Damascus which was attributed to Israel.
In an interview with Turkish media, Erdogan stressed the need for immediate action following the Israeli strikes.
"We will defend an urgent and permanent peace in Syria... Israel is the most concrete threat to regional and global peace," Erdogan stated.
He further stressed, "It is essential that Russia, Iran, and Syria take more effective measures against this situation, which poses the greatest threat to Syria's territorial integrity."
After years of tensions, Israel and Turkey were headed towards reconciliation before Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, but Erdogan has resumed his frequent verbal attacks on Israel since that time.
In one speech, the Turkish President said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “committed one of the greatest atrocities of this century in Gaza and has already put his name down in history as the butcher of Gaza."
In July, Erdogan threatened to invade Israel, saying, "We must be strong so Israel won't be able to do these things to the Palestinians. Just as we entered Karabakh and Libya, we will do the same to Israel. There's nothing left to do, we must be strong."
He then continued to lash out at Israel, claiming that it "committed acts of barbarism" and that "Gaza has become the world's largest concentration camp."
In May, Erdogan boasted of the fact that more than 1,000 members of the Hamas terrorist organization were being treated in hospitals across Turkey.
After his comments made headlines, a Turkish official said that Erdogan had meant to refer to Palestinian Arabs from Hamas-run Gaza in general, rather than Hamas members.