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Erdogan: Israel to blame for tensions in West Asia

Tuesday, 16 April 2024 5:50 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 16 April 2024 5:57 PM ]

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters ahead of the local elections in Istanbul, Turkey, March 29, 2024. (File photo by Reuters)

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the Israeli regime is solely to blame for escalating tensions in West Asia.

“The main one responsible for the tension that gripped our hearts on the evening of April 13 is [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his bloody administration.”

The Turkish leader made the remarks in a televised address on Tuesday.

Speaking at the presidential complex after a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said new tensions could be expected in the region until the “oppression and genocide” in Gaza ends.

"Israel is trying to provoke a regional conflict, and its attack on Iran's embassy in Damascus was the last drop," Erdogan said, slamming the West for condemning Iran's attack but not Israel's strike on the Iranian diplomatic mission.

In his remarks, Erdogan underscored his administration's role as a stable actor amidst global turmoil, attributing this to its balanced foreign policy and achievements in the defense industry.

The Israeli regime launched its genocidal campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip in early October after a surprise attack by the Hamas resistance movement in retaliation for decades of Israeli atrocities.

Since then the Israeli regime forces have killed more than 33,800 Palestinians in Gaza.

In January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an interim ruling that ordered the Tel Aviv regime to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

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