Turkey Requests Interpol Red Notice Against Netanyahu

Turkey's Justice Ministry has formally requested that Interpol issue a Red Notice—an international arrest alert, against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials. The move comes just one day after Netanyahu issued a stern warning to Ankara regarding Turkish military activity in Syria.

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunç confirmed that the request follows arrest warrants issued in Turkey on July 14 as part of ongoing legal proceedings in that country. The Turkish investigation involves 35 Israeli defendants, including Netanyahu and an individual named Efek Moscovitz, in connection with Israeli naval forces' interception of an international activist flotilla in Mediterranean waters on Yom Kippur last year. Turkish authorities accuse the Israeli officials of genocide and crimes against humanity.

An Interpol Red Notice functions as an international request for law enforcement agencies to locate and provisionally arrest individuals pending possible extradition. It is distributed to all member countries of the international policing organization. Turkish officials said the relevant documentation has been forwarded to Turkey's Interior and Foreign Ministries to advance the request with Interpol headquarters.

The formal Turkish petition lists a lengthy series of charges against the Israeli officials, including genocide, crimes against humanity, deprivation of liberty under aggravated circumstances, hijacking of transportation vehicles, aggravated robbery, intentional assault, torture, and property damage. Turkey's Justice Ministry issued a sharp condemnation of Israeli policy in Gaza, stating that Turkey, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership, will not allow those responsible to enjoy impunity and will continue using all available tools in national and international law to bring them to justice.

The legal escalation unfolds against a backdrop of mounting security tensions between the two countries. On Wednesday evening, Netanyahu held a security consultation with defense and intelligence chiefs focused on regional developments in Syria and concerns about Turkish entrenchment there.

Earlier that day, the prime minister issued a forceful warning to Ankara following reports of closer ties between Syria's new government in Damascus and Turkey. "We will not tolerate Turkish military entrenchment in Syria that threatens Israel," Netanyahu declared. He emphasized that Israel's message had been conveyed in advance to relevant parties in the region, using the emphatic phrase "Don't."

Netanyahu added pointedly, addressing attempts to disregard Israeli warnings: "Apparently they didn't hear it well enough, so we made sure they understood it better." The prime minister's strong statement came amid reports of an unusual phone call between Mossad chief Roman Godman and Syria's new Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, in which the issue of Turkish military presence in Syria was directly discussed.

The exchange followed a statement from Turkey's Defense Ministry denying that a Turkish delegation was present at the Abu al-Duhur air base in Syria when it was struck, while emphasizing Ankara's determination to continue supporting the al-Sharaa government—a development causing significant concern in Israel given the strengthening of Turkish influence near the northern border.

Turkey's Defense Ministry issued a sharp statement following the Israeli strike, declaring it would continue supporting Syria and helping develop its military capabilities while rejecting Israeli claims about Turkish military presence at the site. "We will continue resolutely in our efforts to protect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will continue supporting Syria's efforts to develop its military capabilities," the Turkish statement read, adding a warning: "We were not present at the location. It is essential that Israel stop these reckless attacks."