Turkey warns Israel dragging region towards 'total disaster'

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that Israel is pushing the Middle East to the edge of catastrophe following its 13 June strikes on Iran.

“Israel is now leading the region to the brink of total disaster by attacking Iran, our neighbour,” Fidan said during an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Istanbul.

The conflict between Israel and Iran has entered its ninth day, sparked by unproven Israeli claims that Tehran was close to acquiring nuclear weapons—an allegation that led to immediate retaliation from Iran.

Fidan added, “There is no Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Yemeni or Iranian problem but there is clearly an Israeli problem,” and urged an end to what he described as Israel’s “unlimited aggression” against Iran.

“We must prevent the situation from deteriorating into a spiral of violence that would further jeopardise regional and global security,” he warned.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking after Fidan, criticised Western leaders for offering Israel “unconditional support.”