ISTANBUL, Turkey – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has accused Israel of leading the Middle East towards “total disaster” by attacking Iran on June 13.
Iran and Israel have been at war for nine days after Israel, claiming the Islamic republic was on the brink of acquiring a nuclear weapon, launched a massive wave of strikes on its arch-rival, triggering an immediate response from Tehran.
“Israel is now leading the region to the brink of total disaster by attacking Iran, our neighbor,” Fidan told a meeting of top diplomats of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.
“There is no Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, Yemeni or Iranian problem but there is clearly an Israeli problem,” he said.
He called for an end to the “unlimited aggression” against Iran.
“We must prevent the situation from deteriorating into a spiral of violence that would further jeopardize regional and global security,” he added.
Speaking after Fidan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Western leaders of providing “unconditional support” to Israel.
A trenchant critic of Israel’s actions in both Gaza and Iran, Erdogan called for “high-level peace talks” between Tehran and the United States, according to his office, adding that Turkey was ready to play a “facilitator” role to help bring an end to the war.
Tehran, however, has for the time being refused any return to the negotiating table with the United States on its nuclear programme for as long as Israel maintains its attacks on Iran.
Erdogan, who met Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of Saturday’s meeting, 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 banditry — 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”.
According to Qatar’s foreign ministry, Araghchi also met the Gulf state’s top diplomat in Istanbul, who said he was working to bring the sides “back to the path of dialogue.”
Meanwhile, Israel claimed during the weekend an Iranian plot to attack Israeli citizens in Cyprus had been foiled, as the war between the two arch-rivals raged for a ninth day.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had “tried to carry out an attack on Israeli citizens in Cyprus,” a transit point where thousands have gathered either awaiting repatriation to Israel or having left the country.
“Thanks to the activity of the Cypriot security authorities, in cooperation with Israeli security services, the terror attack was thwarted,” Saar added.
Cyprus police said earlier Saturday that they had arrested an individual on espionage and terror charges.
Cypriot news outlet Philenews reported the man had links to “Iranian operatives” and was seen acting suspiciously near a British air force base at Akrotiri, outside the southern coastal city of Limassol.
Britain’s foreign ministry confirmed to AFP that the man was a British national.
It was not clear whether the arrest was related to the alleged plot to attack Israelis mentioned by Saar, and Cypriot police declined to provide extensive details on the case.
Israel has long accused Iran of orchestrating and funding attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide, either directly or through groups it backs such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Cyprus, home to many Israeli expats and a popular holiday destination, has become a staging post for Israelis seeking to return home by air or sea after being stranded abroad by the war with Iran that began on June 13.
Cypriot media said the suspect arrested Saturday was of Azeri descent, referring to an ethnic group present in Azerbaijan and northwest Iran, and had entered Cyprus posing as a tourist.
Philenews said high-resolution cameras, telephoto lenses, notes, computers and three mobile phones were discovered at his apartment.
After Israel’s airports were closed and outbound flights cancelled following Israel’s attack on Tehran, up to 150,000 Israelis found themselves stuck overseas, according to transport ministry figures.
Thousands have since returned home on flights by Israeli national carrier El Al and low-cost airline Arkia with Larnaca in Cyprus used as a hub along with Athens, Rome, Milan and Paris.
A first boat from Cyprus carrying 1,500 Israelis docked in the Israeli port of Ashdod on Friday.
Thanks to its location in the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus has also become a key transit hub for third-country nationals fleeing the middle East since the outbreak of hostilities.
