Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a sharp rebuke to Israel following the Prime Minister's Office confirmation that it carried out an airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in Syria. The Israeli statement, released overnight, explained that the strike was conducted after Syria planned to allow Turkish forces to deploy at the facility.
Erdogan dismissed Israel's justification as baseless. "The claims made by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, which contain no truth whatsoever, are intended to justify Israel's illegal airstrikes that violate Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Turkish leader said. He characterized the accusations as stemming from Netanyahu's desire "to continue his policies and undermine stability in the region ahead of Israel's elections scheduled for October 27."
The Turkish president positioned his country as aligned with the international community in seeking lasting peace. "Turkey, like the overwhelming majority of the international community, supports the establishment of stable and sustainable peace in our region," Erdogan stated. "The only way to achieve this is for Netanyahu to abandon his aggressive and forceful policies and respect international law."
Erdogan concluded by emphasizing Turkey's commitment to working with Syria's government. "Turkey will resolutely continue its legitimate cooperation with the Syrian government, with the aim of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the country," he said. "We will never allow Syria's stability to be undermined."
