Moon Desk: Israel is the “greatest threat” to the region’s stability and security, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday in a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
President Erdogan said “Israel, under the Netanyahu administration, poses the greatest threat to the region’s stability and security, and this has been reaffirmed through its recent attack on Iran,” Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said in a statement on X.
Erdogan and the Saudi crown prince, also known as MBS, discussed the Israel-Iran conflict and other regional and global issues during the conversation.
The Turkish president said “the international community’s silence in the face of the occupation and genocide in Palestine has emboldened Israel in its lawless and aggressive actions.”
Israel’s aggression on Iran, “at a time when efforts are ongoing to reach a compromise” through nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran is aimed at undermining peace efforts, Erdogan said.
He added that the attacks, which caused nuclear leaks, once again revealed “how irresponsibly Israel threatens both regional and global security.”
The Turkish leader underlined that the region cannot endure another crisis, warning that a devastating war could trigger irregular migration waves affecting all countries in the region.
He said the nuclear dispute could only be resolved via continued talks.
Israel launched a series of strikes against Iranian territory, targeting nuclear and missile facilities early Friday, killing senior military figures and scientists. The wave of attacks has continued and resulted in the deaths of at least 78 people with 320 others injured, according to figures earlier announced by Iran’s UN envoy.
Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi told the UN Security Council on Friday that “the level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels,” but affirmed that attacks caused “radiological and chemical contamination inside the facilities.”
