Türkiye on Thursday denounced recent statements by Israeli ministers directed at Ankara, calling them "provocative" and reflective of what it described as the Israeli government's "aggressive and expansionist policies."
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said such rhetoric "not only reveals their state of mind but also mirrors the fundamentalist and racist character of the current Israeli administration."
The ministry questioned Israel's discomfort with developments in Syria and Lebanon that "offer great hope for peace, stability, and prosperity in our region and are supported by the international community."
It also condemned a series of air and ground attacks carried out by Israeli forces overnight on April 2 in Syria.
"There was no provocation or assault directed at Israel from the Syrian field," the ministry said, adding: "These simultaneous attacks demonstrate a foreign policy understanding that thrives on conflict."
The statement said Israeli officials' rhetoric directed at Türkiye aims to distract the global community from the actions of its forces in Gaza and the West Bank.
"They cannot conceal the reality of what they are doing in Gaza, the war being waged against the Palestinian people, (illegal Israeli) settlers violence, or the intent to annex the West Bank," it stressed.
"Israel has become the biggest threat to the security of our region," the statement said, slamming Tel Aviv for undermining the territorial integrity of neighboring countries and fostering instability.
Türkiye further called on Israel to "abandon its expansionist policies, withdraw from occupied territories, and cease obstructing efforts to restore stability in Syria."
The statement also urged the international community to fulfill its responsibility "to curb Israel's increasingly unrestrained acts of aggression."
Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes targeting several sites in the capital, Damascus, and the western provinces of Hama and Homs on Wednesday.
Israel's military claimed the strikes struck "military capabilities that remained" at the Hama airbase and T4 base in Homs, along with other military infrastructure in Damascus.
The Israeli army also launched a ground offensive in Daraa in southern Syria, where at least nine people were killed, according to local authorities.
After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.
Israel also took advantage of the regime's fall to launch hundreds of strikes that targeted military sites and assets across Syria, including fighter jets, missile systems, and air defense installations, according to reports.
