Turkish Defence Ministry sources have confirmed in the last few hours that Turkey has increased its preparations for the possible arrival of a wave of refugees and the extension of the open war between Israel and Iran to other countries in the Middle East, given that many people are already trying to flee Iran and Israel.
In statements reported in the Turkish media, a Turkish military and ministerial spokesman confirmed that “the Turkish Armed Forces are 24/7 on duty, with their members and high-level technology to ensure Turkey’s border security“, and that “intensive security measures have been taken, including on our eastern border with Iran”. The defence ministry insists that the Turkish military is “prepared for any scenario” and that “both our border security and our ability to respond to possible humanitarian crises remain at the highest level”.
Turkey has also stepped up measures to protect its airspace since Israel’s first strike against Iran on Friday: “Israel has once again endangered world and regional peace and attacked our neighbour Iran in violation of international law,” a Turkish defence ministry spokesman said during a press conference in Ankara. However, the ministry has denied reports that Israeli fighter jets violated Turkish airspace during the first day of the attacks on Iran, while pointing out that Turkish fighter jets took off from their bases in response to this possibility and that, since then, “measures to protect our airspace and borders have been intensified”.
It is a fact that the Turkish armed forces are on high alert in the face of increased tensions between Israel and Iran, which in the last few hours bombed new targets causing damage to the Soroka hospital in Beersheba, in the south of the country, leaving several wounded: something for which Prime Minister Netanyahu has promised that Iran “will pay a heavy price”. The Iranian military, which yesterday warned residents of cities such as Tel Aviv and Haifa to evacuate in the face of increased attacks, confirmed the attack but said the main target was a military base near the hospital, which “was only hit by the blast wave”.
Israel – whose defence minister has in recent days threatened the inhabitants of Tehran to pay for missile attacks on Tel Aviv – bombed the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor on Thursday, according to Iran’s own state television, although the facility had previously been evacuated. The attack on the reactor, located about 250 km southwest of Tehran and capable of producing plutonium, did not cause any leakage of radioactive material, but the IAEA has warned against attacks on nuclear facilities.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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