Turkey says Israel leading Middle East to ‘total disaster’

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday accused Israel of pushing the Middle East toward “total disaster” by launching strikes on Iran.

“Israel is now leading the region to the brink of total disaster by attacking Iran, our neighbor,” Fidan said during a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in İstanbul.

“There is no Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Yemeni or Iranian problem, but there is clearly an Israeli problem,” he said.

Calling for an end to what he described as “unlimited aggression” against Iran, Fidan warned, “We must prevent the situation from deteriorating into a spiral of violence that would further jeopardize regional and global security.”

Speaking after Fidan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Western leaders of providing “unconditional support” to Israel.

He said Turkey would not allow borders in the Middle East to be redrawn “in blood.”

“It is vital for us to show more solidarity to end Israel’s thuggery, not only in Palestine but also in Syria, in Lebanon and in Iran,” he told the OIC’s 57 member countries.

The OIC, founded in 1969, says its mission is to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony.”

© Agence France-Presse