Ankara sends a stern message to Tehran – details
Ankara has sent stern and forceful messages to Tehran that it is not prepared to allow Iran to use its territory to carry out or organize reprisals against other countries.
According to media reports, Turkey expressed its dissatisfaction with the planned attack on tourism in the country and the impact of these warnings on the tourism season.
On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid urged Israeli citizens in Turkey to return following recent Iranian threats to target Israelis.
The minister said in a statement: “After several Iranian attempts to carry out attacks against Israelis on vacation, we call on Israelis not to travel to Istanbul or Turkey unless necessary”. Lapid called on Israelis in Turkey to “return to Israel as soon as possible.”
In recent weeks, the Israeli press has quoted anonymous sources reporting attempts to carry out attacks against Israelis in Turkey.
According to these media outlets, these attempts were thwarted through cooperation between the Israeli and Turkish security services.
There have been reports that the Turkish intelligence service has arrested an Iranian cell and confirmed its intention to target Israelis in Turkey.
These measures led to the cancelation of hundreds of Israeli tourist flights to Turkey, without affecting Turkey-based tourists, many of whom refused to return on the grounds that they felt safer in Turkey than in their own country.
