Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoǧan told local media on Saturday that Russia, Iran and Syria should do more to protect Syria’s “territorial integrity.” 

“It is essential that Russia, Iran and Syria take more effective measures against this situation, which poses the greatest threat to Syria’s territorial integrity,” Erdoǧan said when asked about the recent alleged Israeli airstrike in the nation’s capital, Damascus.  Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) accused Israel of carrying out an airstrike in the Mezzah neighborhood in Damascus on Tuesday night. 

SANA quoted a Syrian military source saying, “The Israeli enemy launched an aerial aggression with 3 missiles from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting a residential building at the densely populated Mezzah neighborhood in Damascus, claiming the lives of 7 civilians, among them women and children, injuring 11 others in initial toll and causing huge material damages to properties.” 

The missiles hit a building close to the Iranian embassy. Several reports claimed that the building was being used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Erdoǧan has consistently criticized Israel since he came into power a decade ago, despite several attempts to improve economic ties between the two nations. Since the start of the Gaza War last October, Erdoǧan has increasingly attacked Israel and sided with Hamas. 

Shortly after the Hamas invasion and massacre of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Turkish president canceled a planned trip to Israel and refused to condemn Hamas. 

“Hamas is not a terror organization,” Erdoǧan said at the time. “It is waging a battle for its land.” 

In November, Erdoǧan slammed Israel’s ground incursion into Gaza, calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the butcher of Gaza.” 

In May 2024, at Erdoǧan’s urging, Turkey announced that it was halting all trade with Israel. That same month, it announced it would join South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice at The Hague. 

The country also sent its intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, to Doha, Qatar to meet with Ismail Haniyeh, then the political leader of Hamas. 

In July, Erdoǧan appeared to threaten an invasion of Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza during a party speech. 

“We must be very strong so that Israel can’t do these things to Palestine,” Erdoğan said in his speech. “Just as we entered [Nagorno-] Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we might do the same to them. There is nothing we cannot do. Only we must be strong.” 

The Turkish leader has also called for an “alliance of Islamic countries” to stop “Israeli arrogance.” 

Notably, some bible researchers have identified an alliance of Russia, Iran and Turkey as being the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, especially the War of Gog and Magog from Ezekiel 38. 

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