The Communications Presidency’s Center for Countering Disinformation rejected claims that Türkiye would side with Iran in a U.S.-Israel-Iran war and make an incursion into Lebanon to that extent.
In a social media post on Monday, the center said rumors circulating on social media were “a product of disinformation.”
"Türkiye has stated from the beginning that it is not a party to the war. Under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, intensive diplomatic efforts are being carried out to end the attacks as soon as possible, prevent the spread of the war, and establish a lasting peace. This stance of Türkiye is appreciated by all actors, especially the conflicting parties. Such disinformation posts are also a part of psychological warfare and aim to damage Türkiye's image and overshadow its constructive role in the crisis. The public is strongly requested not to rely on groundless allegations and to only take into account the statements of official authorities,” the Center said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan voiced Türkiye’s concerns about the war in talks with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month, highlighting that Ankara did not want to be a part of the conflict.
Erdoğan last Thursday hit back at those taking sides in the U.S.-Israel-Iran war and criticized those looking at the situation through a sectarian perspective.
"There is no difference between bloodshed in Iran, (in Gulf countries), Lebanon. Everyone mercilessly slaughtered is our brothers and sisters. For attackers, there is no difference between Shiite and Sunni. We don’t discriminate between our neighbors, brothers; we stand by our brothers for the good and bad," he said at a speech at an event organized by his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara.
"It is not right to incite the (sectarian) divide, not right to serve the Zionist agenda of dividing and conquering," he added.
"With Israel's provocations on Feb. 28, the operations initiated against Iran continue to drown our region in blood and the smell of gunpowder. Children who know nothing are becoming targets of bombs while listening to lessons in their schools. Our region is experiencing the most difficult period of the last century. The network of genocide is dragging our geography into a great dead end. Those mercilessly killed are our brothers. The children dying at school desks are our offspring. What is the difference between the tears shed in Isfahan, Tabriz and Tehran and those shed in Beirut, Doha, and Riyadh? What difference does it make to the massacre network if our name is Ali, Murtaza or Omer? Whether in Iran or the Gulf, are we not the ones harmed by every missile fired? Even if our sects and origins are different, is it not our blood flowing in all four corners of our geography? Let everyone be sure of this: We neither discriminate between our brothers and neighbors nor do we remain spectators to the pain of our brothers. We do not leave the brotherly and friendly nations we know in good times alone in their bad days. The heavy bill that has emerged is being paid first by Muslims and then by everyone," he said.
Türkiye maintains close ties with all sides of the conflict except Israel. “The brotherly Turkish nation played an important role in solidarity with the Muslim ummah for years. We will continue this honorable path together, with divine blessings,” Neighboring Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a tweet last Wednesday.
