Turkey urges de-escalation in region following Iran's retaliation on Israel

Duvar English

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on April 14 expressed to his Iranian counterpart Huseyin Emir Abdullahiyan that Turkey did not favor any further escalation in the region following Iran’s retaliatory missile attack upon Israel.

The statesmen talked over the phone hours after the attack took place. 

Fidan added that Turkey wished the end of actions that would escalate the tension in the region.

Abdullahiyan responded that Iran’s retaliatory operation against Israel was concluded, and it would not reinitiate another one if Israel did not attack. 

He added that Iran would respond more severely in the case of a new attack. 

Fidan also spoke with United Kingdom Secretary of State David Cameron over the phone, according to diplomatic sources.

Both parties reiterated the need to curtail tensions in the region. 

Iran informed Turkey in advance of its planned operation against Israel, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters on Sunday, adding that the United States conveyed to Iran via Ankara that its operation must be "within certain limits".

Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to the Turkish foreign minister to make clear that escalation in the Middle East was not in anyone's interest.

Iran launched the attack over a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in Syria on April 1 that killed top Revolutionary Guards commanders and followed months of clashes between Israel and Iran's regional allies, triggered by the war in Gaza.

However, the attack from hundreds of missiles and drones, mostly launched from inside Iran, caused only modest damage in Israel as most were shot down with the help of the U.S., Britain, and Jordan.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that British fighter jets shot down "a number of drones" fired at Israel from Iran.

Turkey on April 9 announced export restrictions to Israel, including steel and jet fuel, until a ceasefire is declared in Gaza. 

The move followed a months-long domestic backlash against Turkey's ongoing trade relations with Israel, despite its strong rhetoric against the latter's attacks in Gaza.