Turkey says Israel leading Middle East to 'total disaster'
Speaking after Fidan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Western leaders of providing 'unconditional support' to Israel.
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Zibqin in southern Lebanon on 25 August 2024, amid escalations in the ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Picture: AFP
ISTANBUL - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday accused Israel of leading the Middle East towards "total disaster" by attacking Iran on June 13.
"Israel is now leading the region to the brink of total disaster by attacking Iran, our neighbour," he told a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.
"There is no Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Yemeni or Iranian problem but there is clearly an Israeli problem," Fidan said.
He called for an end to the "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 added.
Speaking after Fidan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Western leaders of providing "unconditional support" to Israel.
He said Turkey would not allow borders in the Middle East to be redrawn "in blood".
"It is vital for us to show more solidarity to end Israel's banditry -- not only in Palestine but also in Syria, in Lebanon and in Iran," he told the OIC's 57 member countries.
The OIC, founded in 1969, says its mission is to "safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony".