President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan renewed his criticism of Israel on July 29, accusing its government of fueling instability across the Middle East and saying the consequences of its military actions were being borne by the entire region.
“The current war-addicted Israeli regime continues to drag our region into instability with its provocations and schemes,” Erdoğan said after a cabinet meeting in Ankara.
He argued that the area surrounding Türkiye was going through one of its most difficult periods in recent years.
“Israel’s occupations, its illegal settlements and the displacement, intimidation and oppression it imposes on Palestinians in the West Bank, as it has done in Gaza, are the main source of the problems in our region,” Erdoğan said.
“The price of this aggression is being paid not only by our Palestinian friends, not only by the brotherly people of Lebanon, but also by the entire region with different religious groups.”
Despite mounting regional tensions, Erdoğan said Türkiye had successfully managed multiple external shocks and maintained economic stability.
“Despite the conflicts in our region, the Turkish economy remains on solid footing,” he said, adding that the government was working to minimize the impact of war-related costs.
Erdoğan’s remarks came a day before he hosted Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Ankara for talks expected to focus on bilateral ties as well as regional and international developments.
Ahead of the visit, Aoun described coordination with Türkiye as a “strategic necessity” rather than a temporary policy, saying Ankara’s regional influence made it an important partner for Lebanon’s stability.
In an interview with Türkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency, Aoun also reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to implementing a U.S.-brokered framework agreement signed with Israel in June that aims to end hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
He said the agreement required Israel to withdraw from occupied areas, end violations and support the establishment of an international monitoring mechanism.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the agreement after several days of talks in Washington. The negotiations sought to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah after Lebanon was drawn into the regional conflict when the latter launched rockets on March 2 in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Hezbollah rejected the peace initiative and did not participate in the U.S.-mediated negotiations.
Aoun also said Lebanon sought closer cooperation with Türkiye on border security, combating arms smuggling and broader security issues. He encouraged Turkish investment in Lebanon’s manufacturing sector, removing logistical barriers to trade and drawing on Türkiye’s reconstruction experience to support the country’s economic recovery.
