FM Fidan urges Blinken to Gaza ceasefire amid Israel-Iran escalation

With concerns growing about the possibility of a larger regional confrontation, Türkiye stepped up its diplomatic efforts on Monday to call for an immediate ceasefire as tensions between Iran and Israel continue to rise.

During a recent phone conversation between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Fidan highlighted the pressing necessity of resolving the conflict's central issue, identifying the Gaza crisis as the main cause of the tensions between Iran and Israel. Fidan emphasized that the situation may go out of hand if immediate action was not taken to put an end to the violence.

Fidan emphasized Türkiye's worries about the worsening circumstances in the area and the potential for wider confrontation, according to diplomatic sources with knowledge of the call. Fidan echoed Türkiye's previous warnings during the conversation that there is a chance the Gaza issue might spark a larger regional conflict.

Fidan underlined how urgent it is to declare an immediate ceasefire and to continue providing "uninterrupted" humanitarian relief to Gaza, and she asked Blinken to do just that. He emphasized that delaying taking action would only make the situation worse and increase the suffering of innocent bystanders.

In addition, Fidan urged nations that have sway over Israel to send signals intended to lower tensions and open diplomatic channels for a peaceful resolution of the dispute.

Israel's bombing of the Iranian embassy building in Syrian Damascus is the cause of the recent spike in tensions between Iran and Israel. Two senior generals from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were among the fatalities of the strike.

Israel declared it was prepared to counter any Iranian invasion after Iran threatened to avenge what it saw as an attack on its sovereign land.

Iran used unmanned aerial vehicles, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles in a string of assaults against Israel yesterday. The majority of the approaching threats were intercepted by Israel, but one missile did manage to hit a military facility in the southern area.

Source: AA