Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler traveled to the Başkale district of the eastern province of Van on Wednesday to inspect troops deployed on the Turkish-Iranian border. Güler was accompanied by commanders of the Turkish army.
Güler’s visit comes amid heightening conflict between Iran and Israel. Israel launched attacks on Iran last Friday and Iran retaliated in kind.
Türkiye repeatedly called for an end to the conflict and offered to mediate nuclear talks between Iran and Western powers, in a bid to curb Israel’s excuse of using the nuclear arms pretext to attack Türkiye’s eastern neighbor.
Ankara closely monitors the conflict and calls for international action to stop Israeli aggression from spilling over the wider region. Media outlets reported earlier that some Israeli warplanes approached Turkish airspace during attacks targeting Tehran and Türkiye dispatched F-16 jets to warn them to stay away from Turkish airspace.
Türkiye shares a long border with Iran, which was once a hot spot for irregular migrants from Asian countries. Nowadays, border crossings host Iranian travelers seeking to return home by land after canceled flights.
In a videoconference with commanders of military units across the border, Güler said they increased security measures along the border with Iran due to recent developments. "We condemn Israel's illegitimate attacks against our neighbor Iran. Its attacks that began in Gaza and spread to Lebanon and now Iran, demonstrate its intention to spread the violence across the region. The international community should immediately take action to stop Israel's arbitrary actions," he said.
The minister said they were acting in line with a proactive security paradigm. "We upgrade our abilities based on changing risks and threats along the borders," he said. He noted that Türkiye also secured its air defenses, noting the development of the "Steel Dome" project and short-range and long-range missiles, as well as the national fighter jet Kaan.
