Israel intent on igniting regional conflict, warns Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again warned that the Israeli government, aided by Western powers, is determined to start a regional war. His statements come following Tel Aviv's overnight attack on Iran.

Erdogan stressed that "it is crucial not to fall into the trap set by Israel and its supporters," who are "attempting to ignite a regional conflict," while addressing a ceremony in Türkiye's southern city of Hatay on Saturday.

He stressed that Israel’s approach would ultimately fail and extended his get-well wishes to the Iranian government and people, who became the new targets of Israeli aggression after Tel Aviv also launched a ground invasion of Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Israel's war on Palestine's Gaza has risen to 42,924 people on the 386th day of the war. Since the early days of the offensive, Turkish officials have been warning that Israel has been seeking to destabilise the entire region.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry warned of the same scenario earlier on Saturday, saying that Israel, while "committing genocide in Gaza, preparing to annex the West Bank, and killing civilians every day in Lebanon, has now brought our region to the brink of a wider war".

"It is now clear that putting an end to Israeli terror in the region has become a historic task to ensure international security and peace," it added.

Regional tensions soar

Israel has launched air strikes targeting what it described as "military targets" in Iran, including within the capital Tehran.

The Israeli military claims the attacks destroyed Iran's missile manufacturing facilities, surface-to-air missile arrays and other aerial capabilities across several areas of the country. Iranian officials, however, said Israeli strikes had caused "limited damage."

Iranian military officials had previously warned that any attack from Israel would be met with a "harsher response."

Fearing retaliation from Baghdad, the Israeli military said it had "fully mobilised" its offensive and defensive capabilities.

Iran launched two ballistic missile attacks on Israel in recent months amid the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza that began in October 2023, and its more recent ground invasion of Lebanon.