Turkey – A Turkish diplomatic source revealed yesterday, Sunday, that messages were exchanged between Tehran, Ankara, and Washington during the days preceding the Iranian operation against Israel.
A Turkish diplomat told Reuters that Tehran had informed Ankara in advance of its operation against Israel, which came in response to its bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
Last night, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, an unprecedented direct attack that was thwarted according to the Israeli army.
According to the Turkish diplomatic source, Washington notified Tehran via Ankara that its operation must be “within certain limits.”
Turkey, which condemns the Israeli military aggression against Gaza, said earlier on Sunday that it does not want a further escalation of tensions in the region.
The Turkish source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke to his American and Iranian counterparts last week to discuss the Iranian operation, adding that Ankara was aware of the potential developments.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke to his Turkish counterpart a few days ago to clarify that escalation in the Middle East is not in anyone’s interest.
“Iran informed us in advance what would happen,” the source said. We also discussed possible developments during the meeting with Blinken.”
He added that the United States “conveyed to Iran through us that this reaction must be within certain limits.”
He continued, “In response, Iran said that its move would be a response to Israel’s attack on its embassy in Damascus and that it would not go beyond that.”
Iran, which neighbors Turkey, vowed revenge for Israel’s bombing of its consulate in Damascus in early April, which resulted in the killing of 7 Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry called for restraint and warned of a regional war if tensions escalate further. She said that Ankara will continue its efforts to prevent further conflict and escalation in the region.
A Turkish security source said that CIA Director William Burns spoke to his Turkish counterpart, Ibrahim Kalin, during the Eid al-Fitr holiday and asked him to act as a “mediator” in the Israeli-Iranian tensions.
The source added that they also discussed ceasefire efforts in Gaza, without going into details.
Source: Reuters
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2024-04-16 01:01:30