Israeli PM responsible for escalation of tensions in Middle East: Erdogan

International Desk: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government are solely responsible for the escalation of tensions in the Middle East. The Turkish president said this at a press conference in Ankara after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday (April 16). News from Aljazeera and Reuters.

Erdogan said Israel is trying to provoke regional conflict. The deadly attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria was part of their plan. As long as Israel's "cruelty and genocide" in Gaza continues, new regional tensions will continue to rise, he said. Criticizing the West for condemning Iran's attack on Israel, Erdogan said that when Israel attacked the Iranian embassy in Syria, the West was silent on the matter. Meanwhile, after Tehran's drone and missile attack on Israel, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi. Iranian President Raisi called Russian President Putin on Tuesday (April 16) afternoon. He called Putin to discuss the situation after the attack on Israel.

At this time, Raisi said, he does not want another war. After speaking with Raisi, Putin expressed hope that all sides would think logically and remain calm, the Kremlin said. No such move would lead to a new war—causing disastrous consequences for the Middle East. On April 1, Israel launched a deadly missile attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, the capital of Syria. 7 high-ranking officers including two commanders of the Revolutionary Guards were killed. In response to that attack, Tehran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel's territory at midnight on April 13. Yemen's pro-Iranian armed group, the Houthis, joined them in the attack. After that, the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah is also known to have launched a rocket attack on Israel.