Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye has been taking the necessary measures in the aftermath of Israel's attack on Iran and the latter's possible response, as he called on Tel Aviv to abandon its strategy to destabilize the region.
Fidan's statement came after a critical 4-hour meeting with Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and the head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Ibrahim Kalın.
In his statement, Fidan said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been closely monitoring Israel-Iran developments from the very beginning and is being kept informed.
"In line with his instructions, Türkiye's relevant institutions are taking all necessary measures based on possible scenarios concerning our country," Fidan said.
He continued by saying that Israel must immediately abandon its strategy of destabilizing the region, which has caused a humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, dragged Lebanon into instability, led to the occupation of Syria, and now targets Iran.
"We must not let growing tensions in our region to distract attention from genocide taking place in Gaza," he said.
The meeting is focused on discussing the developments triggered by Israel's airstrikes and their potential repercussions.
Fidan also held separate phone calls with his Iraqi and Jordanian counterparts regarding the developments.
He spoke with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi amid rising regional tensions, following Israel’s large-scale assault targeting Iran overnight.
The officials exchanged views on the potential consequences of the escalation and stressed the importance of coordinated regional diplomacy to de-escalate the situation, according to sources.
Israel launched the large-scale attack on Iran earlier in the day, targeting the country's nuclear and military facilities. Several senior Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists were also killed in the strikes. The wave of strikes is said to have continued.
Iran vowed "severe punishment," and called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
