Erdogan warns against alleged Israeli ‘sectarian’ designs in region, calls for Iran war to end

In a speech to his AK party in parliament, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blasts Israel, saying, “We absolutely must not fall for the Zionist murder network’s ‘killing two birds with one stone’ game.”

“We are taking the necessary precautions against the bloody scenarios that are being attempted to be staged in our region, especially sectarian conflict,” he says, seeming to refer to reports about Israeli and US contacts with Iranian Kurdish rebel groups about a potential offensive.

Turkey, which is home to the largest Kurdish population in the world, is firmly opposed to any moves that could lead to increased Kurdish autonomy in the region, which could potentially inflame its own minority.

“Whoever reaches out to harm Turkey will get burned, and whoever speaks ill of Turkey will get burned,” says Erdogan, one of the world’s leading critics of Israel and a backer of Hamas. Relations between the countries collapsed after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack and the Gaza war.

“We are not seeking adventure, and we are certainly not seeking tension. We are in favor of peace and tranquility prevailing in every inch and corner of our region,” he continues. “We have no designs on the sovereignty of any country, but if anyone covets our lands and seeks adventure, we will not hesitate to say ‘bring it on.'”

Erdogan also calls for the US-Israel war against Iran to stop “before it escalates and completely engulfs the region in flames.”

“Given the sensitivity of the situation we are in, we are speaking very carefully,” says Erdogan. “We are acting cautiously to protect Turkey from the fire surrounding it.”

Erdogan does not criticize or even mention Iran, which has fired two ballistic missiles at his country.