Erdoğan Condemns Israeli Strikes, Warns of Wider Regional Fallout
 Turkish President vows continued diplomatic efforts amid escalating Middle East crisis
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday delivered a strongly worded address condemning <a title="Israel" href="https://www.benefitnews24.com/international/israel-strikes-iran-s-nuclear-missile-sites-in-tehran-blitz/14178" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Israel&rsquo;s</a> ongoing military campaign, particularly its strikes against <a title="Iran" href="https://www.benefitnews24.com/opinion/iron-dome-s-true-test-amid-iran-s-missile-barrage/14136" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iran</a>, while warning of the broader regional consequences should tensions continue to spiral.
Speaking at the parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara, Erdoğan asserted that T&uuml;rkiye remained firmly committed to advancing diplomacy and exerting all possible pressure to bring an end to Israel's widening offensive.
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&ldquo;We are undertaking every effort to halt Israel&rsquo;s inhumane assaults&mdash;be it in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, or our immediate neighbour, Iran,&rdquo; Erdoğan declared, outlining Ankara&rsquo;s broad regional concerns. He added that Turkish institutions had been placed on high alert to assess and respond to any spillover effects from the conflict.
The Turkish leader characterised Iran&rsquo;s military response to Israeli strikes as a natural act of self-defence, condemning what he termed Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;state terrorism and banditry.&rdquo; He went further to draw an inflammatory comparison between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Adolf Hitler, remarking that Netanyahu had &ldquo;surpassed&rdquo; the Nazi dictator in his actions and expressing hope that their destinies would not mirror one another.
The remarks come in the wake of a significant escalation on June 13, when Israel reportedly carried out wide-ranging attacks targeting Iranian nuclear infrastructure and military command hubs. In the days since, casualties have mounted rapidly. According to Iranian sources, 585 individuals have been confirmed dead and over 1,300 wounded across Tehran and other cities.
In retaliation, Iranian forces launched ballistic missile strikes on Israeli territory, resulting in at least 24 deaths and more than 500 injuries. The rapidly escalating exchange of hostilities has drawn international condemnation, with Ankara among the nations calling for immediate de-escalation.
Erdoğan also turned to domestic stability in the face of growing global unrest, reaffirming the importance of national unity under T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;s &ldquo;Terror-Free Initiative.&rdquo; The project, first proposed by Devlet Bah&ccedil;eli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), seeks to finally bring an end to the longstanding threat posed by the PKK.
In a key development earlier this year, lawmakers from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) visited the imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah &Ouml;calan at his island facility in the Sea of Marmara. The visit marked a turning point, culminating in the PKK&rsquo;s formal declaration last month of its dissolution. This decision effectively brought a close to a four-decade-long insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands of lives in T&uuml;rkiye and across parts of Iraq and Syria.
As Erdoğan balanced harsh regional criticism with cautious optimism at home, his message was clear: T&uuml;rkiye would not remain a bystander amid regional instability, but neither would it sacrifice its internal cohesion in the face of external chaos.

Turkish President calls Israel’s actions terrorism, backs Iran’s right to self-defence

Erdoğan Slams Israel, Warns of Regional Fallout

Turkish President calls Israel’s actions terrorism, backs Iran’s right to self-defence

June 18, 2025 | 21:40 IST